myicebox | And then suddenly a human dude with perfect hair

And then suddenly a human dude with perfect hair

As always, Ignis is the first one to wake up. He's used to the darkness at this time, having for so long not wished to wake up the others that so foolishly stayed up late. But it's different now.

For one, they have their own beds. And for the other, Ignis is blind--he's now always in the dark.

He doesn't bother to open his remaining eye; it can barely distinguish light from darkness, a distracting haze that just reminds him of his condition. Ignis lays there for a bit, orienting himself to the room he shares with Prompto. Also, perhaps a bit, hoping that it's all a horrible nightmare.

It isn't.

With the softest of sighs, Ignis brushes aside his covers and rises, doing his best to not wake Prompto as he slides out of bed. He remembers the way to the bathroom. That much, he can do. He'd even have a chance of making it undetected if he didn't have to search for his sunglasses to put them on immediately.

They're like a security blanket between him and the stares he cannot see. A security blanket that unfortunately scrapes against the nightstand they're on. He frowns in annoyance, but puts them on anyway.

Just in case someone other than Prompto comes in.

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During high school, people had thought of Prompto as a lazy trouble maker. The trouble maker part maybe a bit, though it was mostly to give Noctis something to laugh at or look forward to. The gods knew he rarely ever did, and it had become Prompto's duty to be court jester as it were. But no, his 'laziness' was more a struggle to concentrate on the minutia of school work. Which he hated. Though when he has something to dedicate himself too, he rarely, if ever, drops the ball.

Like his unofficial appointment as court jester, Prompto has taken his role as caretaker very seriously. Noct hasn't woken yet and Gladio... is Gladio.

So the moment there's even an inkling that Ignis is moving about on his own, Prompto snaps awake and scrambles to sit up. He's exhausted. They're all exhausted. War doesn't lend itself well to restful sleep.

"Iggy?" He rubs at his eyes, contacts dry and itchy. "You need something, buddy?"

He's frozen for a moment in silence before he lets out a sigh and picks his sunglasses up, placing them on his face. "My apologies; I didn't mean to wake you."

That question is getting purposefully ignored as Ignis starts to walk around the beds and towards the attached bathroom. "I'm taking a shower. You should go back to sleep."

Edited (I canz english rel gud) 2018-07-24 03:01 (UTC)

He should sleep. Probably even could sleep, but sleep hasn't been all that kind to him recently, so he doesn't mind the disturbance in the slightest. At least awake he can be useful.

"Let me set everything out for you first at least." Prompto says through a yawn, and Ignis can hear him drawing his covers back and shifting on the mattress to stand.

Ignis can't stop him if that's what he wants to do. He's truthfully grateful how much Prompto has stepped up to help without even the slightest complaint, which makes him feel guilty for feeling so stifled by it. The other man just wants to support him, which is only a reminder of how much he has lost, even if he doesn't regret his choice.

"If you could lay out my clothes on my bed, please," Ignis offers after a moment of thought. "I can handle the rest."

He hates the amount of privacy he's lost as well, but he's now only uncomfortable about being naked around Prompto. Even while camping, he had kept his privacy. That became impossible the first few days after the fight on the altar when he was too weak to walk without help. But again, Prompto had helped him without complaint, and Prompto had made him feel safe while so vulnerable. It was something he could live with for now.

He yawns and stretches as he heads towards the bathroom, planning on making sure the soaps are in the right place. And the washcloths, towels, toothbrush and anything else he can think of. He'd probably have had the water going for him too, but he stops at the door when Iggy speaks up again and he slows to look back over his shoulder.

Iggy has been doing a lot better physically, even if he does still look too pale for Prompto's liking. Being able to get around without being able to see is another thing all together. "Y-you sure?"

He doesn't mean to sound skeptical, but he's nervous and he hopes it just comes off as lingering sleepiness. "It'll just take me a minute!"

"I am certain," Ignis says with that practiced tone of gently annoyed finality that only he can have. "I know the layout well enough."

The last thing he needs is everything handed to him. It's stifling him already with how he needs help with every little task. He wants to be able to do just one thing by himself.

"Okay just... gimme a call if you need anything?" He bites his lip hard, but just stands there for a moment to watch Ignis get to the bathroom at least, ready to leap over incase he trips.

Not that there's anything in the way, he's made sure there's nothing littering the floor, moved any stray furniture to sit out of the way along the walls. As much as he worries about Ignis' eyesight, it's that wound thats been bothering him. The older man tries to hide it, but Prompto is astute enough to tell that it hurts. Probably more than he'll ever admit to.

He can't help the sigh that escapes his lips this time. "I will."

Part of his confidence is that Prompto has cleared the room of anything he might easily trip over and has kept it clean. It's afforded him much more independence than he would have had otherwise. He's grateful for that, especially when he feels the edge of the door right where he expected it to be.

"I shouldn't be too long," Ignis 'glances' back only to make sure his voice is directed at Prompto so he can be heard.

He's glad he can't see whatever expression is currently on Prompto's face. Especially since he's aware Prompto has caught him in moments where he thought no one was looking, and he let his careful mask hiding the pain in his eyes slide off. It's not as bad as it was before, now bearable, and he's refused anymore painkillers.

It was very disturbing to hallucinate when he no longer could see, and he needs his mind sharp if he's going to deal with this at all.

Prompto withers a little at the sigh. He knows that for the most part it's just Iggy being Iggy, but he doesn't want to make his friend feel even more put upon than he already is. He wants Iggy to feel more independent and confident again, and he still has high hopes that at least one eye will heal back to normal again. He's not willing to give up on that yet.

At the same time, Prompto likes feeling needed and useful. He's not a noble so he has no idea how to handle the political aspects of everything thats going on. He's gotten decent with a gun, but nothing he's been training for is of any use at the moment. So he dotes on Ignis while Noct recovers and Gladio runs interference with government officials and whatever else needs doing in that regard.

He feels so helpless. At least helping Iggy gives him a purpose.

"Right! I'll get your clothes ready!" He says with as much cheer as he can muster, finally heading off to the wardrobe.

There's a moment of guilt followed by a burst of anger. It's not directed at Prompto. It's just this entire situation is--frustrating. And in the next moment, it dies away, the emotion spent. He's simply too tired to even keep it going.

Ignis might not have his sight anymore, but he knows some of it is Prompto needing to help. To do something. All nervous energy without an outlet, like a puppy. Noctis isn't up to hanging out, they're standing still in one place, and there's a very limited set of what Prompto and him can do.

"... and perhaps afterwards, we can take a walk."

Well, if it works for dogs....

Prompto is as loyal as a hound and just as desperate to make those around him happy and proud. Right now he just doesn't feel like he's doing enough. It's not like he can just heal Iggy outright, or bring back Luna, or fix Altissia, but there's still that irrational part of him that desperately wishes he could come up with something that will be of worthwhile help.

He hasn't even been able to make any of them smile, though a lot of that is because he what would even be appropriate to do in that regard.

There's a pause as he's rifling through their shared wardrobe, picking out something nice and clean for Iggy to wear. He looks up at the offer, a bit surprised at the suggestion. "Yeah, sure! If you want to. Fresh air will do us both good, I think."

He's more than a little help--he's a lifeline. Ignis had learned to appreciate him before once they spent a good amount of time together, but now he appreciates Prompto on a completely different level. The others aren't capable of what Prompto is doing for him: keeping just enough hope alive in himself that he remains alive.

Something he'll never let Prompto, or any of the others, know. He had contemplated it in the first few days when he felt utterly helpless. Except Prompto had been there, always willing to lend a hand without a complaint.

Prompto's voice reminded him of why he needed to live. He could follow the devastation him dying would leave in Prompto's voice, and by extension, Noctis's. He couldn't do that to either of them.

Now, though, he's accepted it enough to push forward. It's not enough to look forward to the future, not yet. But it's enough to get him up every day.

"Especially the fresh air from an ocean breeze," Ignis agrees, and there's almost a ghost of a smile on his face as he 'glances' back.

He can at least still hear and smell the wind. Almost taste it sometimes, too. Feel the sun on his face. That, too, is a lifeline.

Prompto could tell, in his own way. He'd at least suspected, which was one of the reasons why he'd stuck so irritatingly close and tried to make sure Iggy was as comfortable as he could possibly be.

He's had his own dark monsters to fight. Growing up feeling unwanted and unlovable leaves deep and lasting scars, and while he desperately tried to remake himself there were times when he wanted nothing more than to give up.

But he'd made a promise. It took him years when it would have taken most people moments, but he'd been determined to keep it no matter how badly the process hurt.

Still, he'd never consider his issues anywhere near on the same level as what Iggy is probably going through.

"I showered before I went to sleep." If he could call it that. "So.. whenever you're ready?"

Ignis knew Prompto had sensed it. Not a word had been spoken about it, yet Prompto had been there, a constant and steadying presence when Ignis needed him most. This is the reason why Noctis had insisted that Prompto came. Not because he was the best at fighting or the smartest but he had the heart they needed to carry on.

He could no longer think of being without Prompto. It was simply too much to bear. How Prompto's parents seemed to always be absent is incomprehensible. The moments that Ignis remember that they exist are moments where he's filled with a quiet rage.

None of those moments happen at the moment, though. Ignis's mind is mostly too lost to his own pain. Suddenly he went from being the most out together out of all of them and became the one needing the most help. The first days, he had simply been too weak to even bathe himself (which certainly had made it harder to act on any of his newly discovered self-loathing).

"Then we should have time for a spot of breakfast before the others start stirring," Ignis nods to Prompto, then heads into the bathroom and closes the door silently behind himself.

It comes with a bit of pride to finally be able to shower by himself. To do his own hair. To be increasingly self-sufficient. He showers quickly, spending more time doing his hair than under the spray. (It's a miracle that the hotel still has hot water at all.) All in all, it's about fifteen minutes before he comes out with a towel tied around his waist and his old clothes neatly draped across one arm.

He doesn't need to ask where Prompto put his clothes, knowing he'll tell him in a moment.

Prompto can't imagine being without them either, even if he'd honestly believed he'd lose them all after the wedding. He's pretty sure that Gladio and Ignis, probably especially Ignis, hadn't wanted him to come along in the first place. He'd always just been 'Noct's friend that got him in trouble.' Noctis is capable of getting his own self in trouble, thank you very much.

Ignis is such a logical, rational person where Prompto is... anything but. At a young age he'd begun accepting things about himself, things he could never be or have for no other reason than the fact that he's himself. If his parents could never find it in themselves to love him then how could he hope that anyone else could? He still pretends, because that's what normal people do right? They have crushes on beautiful, talented people?

It may not have happened right away, but he knows he'd have ended up alone again at some point. There's no way that things wouldn't have changed. The fact that the world needed to end for him to actually feel close to people is pretty telling in his opinion, but thats what it took for them to actually take the time to get to know him. Ignis especially.

They are so intrinsically different in just about everything that makes them people, but none of that has ever mattered for Prompto. Iggy helps him stay focused in ways that doesn't make him feel entirely like crawling out of his skin, and he does enjoy listening to Iggy talk about cooking or whatever else is on his mind.

Prompto may be even more terrified now of them finding out where he came from, but he doesn't have the heart to pull away. Not now, not when everything is falling apart.

"I laid everything out on the bed!" The blond says as he trots over to Iggy's side to take his old clothes. He'd gotten ready while Ignis was showering, then sat on the edge of the bed and waited, keeping himself calm with apps on his phone. His anxiety has been riding high for quite a long time now and it doesn't seem like it's about to let up any time soon.

He still smiles even though Ignis can't see him, but there's barely a moment's hesitation where he bites back on telling Iggy to ask if he needs help before taking the clothes to the hamper for now.

Ignis had thought that taking Prompto was unwise at best, even if he did find himself enjoying his company. Prompto had slowly proven himself over the course of their journey. Now, he has no more doubts that Prompto belongs as one of them, and he's especially pleased about how far Prompto has come in such a short time.

He doesn't know about Prompto's fears of being alone, although he knows that the younger man tries perhaps a bit too hard to be liked. His thoughts can no longer consider could-have-beens, too exhausted by the present. Ignis's hands would have been full serving Noctis and relaying things between him and the king. Getting to know what Lunafreya liked in terms of cooking. All of that doesn't seem to matter now.

Not a lot seems to matter right now other than to keep moving from one moment to the next. It's all he can manage to do. Prompto makes it bearable.

"Thank you," Ignis replies quietly, letting Prompto take his old clothes without a complaint even as he notices the momentary hesitation and then walking over to where Prompto has been laying them out since the first time.

They're there, in all the same places, as always. He doesn't need to fumble for them for more than a few moments before he finds his boxer-briefs to put on. Amazingly, he manages to slip those on without making his towel fall off, only taking it off once he's covered. Ignis may be comfortable with Prompto, but not that comfortable.

"What did you pick out for me today?" Ignis asks more for idle conversation than anything.

He's not entirely sure if he cares how he looks anymore.

He had tried so hard, training by himself when he had the moments and giving it his all whenever they took the time to work with each other at havens. He struggles to keep focused, and while forcing himself doesn't actually help he'd do it anyway. A lot of his mistakes had been due as much to his own frustrations at himself as it was everyone else's.

It's been years since he's felt this bad, where the burn of tears hides just behind his eyes practically every waking moment. It never gets past that point. To him it's just another weight on the pile of things that no one is ever supposed to know.

"Something comfy!" He says as he deposits Iggy's bedclothes. Something from Ignis' more casual attire. Prompto is just as into maintaining his appearance as Iggy had been, they just have vastly different styles. So whenever he lays out something for Ignis to wear, he makes sure it's clean and pressed and fitting to how the advisor had always carried himself.

No one had asked him too, but he'd been increasing the 'difficulty' of what Ignis had to deal with to get dressed as he got stronger. He'd gone from sweats and pajamas to slacks and nicer shirts with zippers and buttons that need feeling around. Not a full on suit just yet, keeping the number of frustrations down for now.

"The soft, stripy shirt and black pants okay?" He left them in the same order he always does, but this time the belt isn't already run through his slacks.

Something that would have been better left said. Ignis had noticed how hard Prompto had been working to improve, and how far he had come in such a short time, considering he lacked in years of training like the rest of them. While he was aware that their comments were hurtful and that tempers sometimes boiled over more than necessary, he did not understand the extent that it was harming Prompto. He certainly would have laid off of many of his own comments, and perhaps even provided his own training on the side as well as speaking to the others privately to knock the worst of it off.

Frustrations should never mean breaking another man down. It served none of them to do so. Also, Ignis was not a man for cruelty. But since it was left unsaid, understandably so....

The steadily increasing difficulty was something Ignis had both noticed and appreciated. He believed he could probably dress himself in his full attire, had he the mind for it. Surprisingly--he realizes he doesn't. Not yet. Everything was simply too much.

"That's fine," Ignis feels for the clothing, trying to confirm what Prompto said, and being pleased he can recognize it. "... thank you, Prompto."

He doesn't say it often in that way, short and direct. But sometimes it's just better. After all Prompto has done for him, he certainly deserves to hear it.

Ignis sits on the bed and starts with his socks.

It's hard for Prompto to speak up about things that bother him. He does on occasion, but usually when it's so obvious a joke that he can tell, or something that has to do about his appearance. That's something he can change if he really wanted to. Mostly. Him as a person?. That's much harder a thing to change. He'd tried to hard and so long to turn him into something he thought Noct would like (hell, that anyone would like) that the feeling of not being good enough is compounded by the fact that he already sees himself that way.

He never learned how to rely on people. It comes more naturally to just try and handle everything alone.

"N-no problem, dude! Any time!" He says, his smile in his words as he settles close by but on the other bed so Ignis has room, but he can be there quickly if needed. Sounds from his phone remain conspicuously silent, though his heel taps lightly on the floor.

"Did you want to try and walk all the way down to the water?" At least they don't have to try and navigate Altissian roadways.

Prompto, you are a good person, and Ignis would let Gladio punch anyone that was mean to you outside of the group. That may or may not include your parents. Ignis had noticed that his parents weren't around much, but he didn't fully grasp how far it went into neglect until this journey. Out of all their losses, their deaths would not be so sad, Ignis allowed himself to think all of once. Except that Prompto still loved them, because of course he did.

The heal tapping helps him know where Prompto is, although he had heard the shifting easily enough as he sat down. "Yes."

A simple word with plenty of meaning; Ignis feels strong enough for it this time, finally.

Of course he loves his parents. Or at least, he had wanted to. He's been with them for nearly his entire life, but he barely got to know them, though it's not like he hadn't tried. He never called them his 'foster' parents because they're the only parents he'd ever known. Once upon a time when he was old enough to understand the difference between being fostered and being adopted, he used to dream and hope that they'd actually adopt him one day because that would mean he belonged somewhere.

Foster children don't belong. They just exist wherever they're put until they're put somewhere else.

That never happened either, but he never had the courage to ask why.

There's a sense that Prompto perks up at Iggy's response, his smile genuine. "Great! We could use some that sweet sea air."

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And then suddenly a human dude with perfect hair

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