It had taken Gladio only a few hours to come to his senses and realise what he’d done.
By evening, as the anger inside him died down, he’d sat in his room staring at the wall in abject horror as he realised he’d broken up with Ignis. In his fury – a fury not helped by the several whiskies he had had – he had pushed away the most wonderful, caring man he’d ever known.
He’d done much more than that though. Fucking hell, he’d watched Noctis push his blind boyfriend over onto the floor. He’d watched Ignis pull a pot of scalding tea down onto his leg and cry out in agony. He’d watched the man who had had his back through everything scramble to his feet, distressed and disorientated, and he’d not made one move to help him.
Instead, he’d dumped him in front of Prompto and strode away. What kind of colossal heartless bastard was he? His father would have been ashamed.
Six, how could Gladio have resented that Ignis had only been doing his duty? He himself knew better than anyone that duty came first. It was their way of life. It was the reason Clarus had been beside Regis when he died. It was the reason that Gladio had known on their trip that should he presented with the choice of saving Ignis or saving Noct, he would have had to choose Noct, even if it broke his heart. Why had it been acceptable for him to do his job, but not for Ignis?
He’d never felt so low in his entire life. The hurt, bewildered expression on Ignis’s face as he’d turned to Gladio after Noctis’s dismissal haunted him. Gods, what had they done? Vision blurred with tears, he dug out his phone and dialled Ignis’s number. It rang out and went to the voicemail.
“Iggy, it’s me. I’m so sorry!” he sobbed down the phone. “I know I don’t even deserve for you to listen to me, love, but please call me back. I’m so, so sorry!”
Ignis never called back. Gladio called him twice an hour all night and sent something like a dozen text messages, but there was no reply. He went along to Ignis’s chambers and forced the door open, but there was no one there. He had no more ado but to sit and stare at his phone screen, praying for it to ring.
It didn't.
First thing in the morning, he went to find Noctis and Prompto. They weren’t in their bedrooms, but he eventually tracked them down in the throne room. Both were pale faced and bleary eyed. It looked as though he had not been the only one who hadn’t slept.
“We need to find Iggy!” Prompto said miserably, the second he saw Gladio and the shield was relieved to find the gunslinger was of the same mind. “I’ve been thinking about him all night. We shouldn’t have turned on him like that yesterday. When you found out my secret, he just said I was still one of you, that it didn’t matter. When I found his, I just pushed him out of the door. You’d literally just dumped him and all I said was ‘the door’s over there’.” The blond’s expressive blue eyes welled with tears. “I was angry about my Mom and Dad. I still kinda am. But we shouldn’t have done that to him.”
Noctis said nothing; his face strangely blank.
“Hell right we shouldn’t have,” Gladio ground out thickly. “We need to find him now. I’ve checked his rooms but he’s not been there all night.”
“Noct...Noct told him to leave the Citadel,” said Prompto hesitantly. “Maybe he did?”
“Where would he go, though?” Gladio wondered, pulling out his phone again and hitting dial.
They all jumped when a faint, tinny buzz broke the silence. Prompto hurried to find the source and went pale when he reached under the table Ignis had fallen by yesterday to find the advisor’s phone vibrating on the marble floor, showing 27 missed calls from Gladio, and 15 texts.
Re: Fill 4/?: Gen and/or Gladnis; Ignis attempts suicide
By evening, as the anger inside him died down, he’d sat in his room staring at the wall in abject horror as he realised he’d broken up with Ignis. In his fury – a fury not helped by the several whiskies he had had – he had pushed away the most wonderful, caring man he’d ever known.
He’d done much more than that though. Fucking hell, he’d watched Noctis push his blind boyfriend over onto the floor. He’d watched Ignis pull a pot of scalding tea down onto his leg and cry out in agony. He’d watched the man who had had his back through everything scramble to his feet, distressed and disorientated, and he’d not made one move to help him.
Instead, he’d dumped him in front of Prompto and strode away. What kind of colossal heartless bastard was he? His father would have been ashamed.
Six, how could Gladio have resented that Ignis had only been doing his duty? He himself knew better than anyone that duty came first. It was their way of life. It was the reason Clarus had been beside Regis when he died. It was the reason that Gladio had known on their trip that should he presented with the choice of saving Ignis or saving Noct, he would have had to choose Noct, even if it broke his heart. Why had it been acceptable for him to do his job, but not for Ignis?
He’d never felt so low in his entire life. The hurt, bewildered expression on Ignis’s face as he’d turned to Gladio after Noctis’s dismissal haunted him. Gods, what had they done? Vision blurred with tears, he dug out his phone and dialled Ignis’s number. It rang out and went to the voicemail.
“Iggy, it’s me. I’m so sorry!” he sobbed down the phone. “I know I don’t even deserve for you to listen to me, love, but please call me back. I’m so, so sorry!”
Ignis never called back. Gladio called him twice an hour all night and sent something like a dozen text messages, but there was no reply. He went along to Ignis’s chambers and forced the door open, but there was no one there. He had no more ado but to sit and stare at his phone screen, praying for it to ring.
It didn't.
First thing in the morning, he went to find Noctis and Prompto. They weren’t in their bedrooms, but he eventually tracked them down in the throne room. Both were pale faced and bleary eyed. It looked as though he had not been the only one who hadn’t slept.
“We need to find Iggy!” Prompto said miserably, the second he saw Gladio and the shield was relieved to find the gunslinger was of the same mind. “I’ve been thinking about him all night. We shouldn’t have turned on him like that yesterday. When you found out my secret, he just said I was still one of you, that it didn’t matter. When I found his, I just pushed him out of the door. You’d literally just dumped him and all I said was ‘the door’s over there’.” The blond’s expressive blue eyes welled with tears. “I was angry about my Mom and Dad. I still kinda am. But we shouldn’t have done that to him.”
Noctis said nothing; his face strangely blank.
“Hell right we shouldn’t have,” Gladio ground out thickly. “We need to find him now. I’ve checked his rooms but he’s not been there all night.”
“Noct...Noct told him to leave the Citadel,” said Prompto hesitantly. “Maybe he did?”
“Where would he go, though?” Gladio wondered, pulling out his phone again and hitting dial.
They all jumped when a faint, tinny buzz broke the silence. Prompto hurried to find the source and went pale when he reached under the table Ignis had fallen by yesterday to find the advisor’s phone vibrating on the marble floor, showing 27 missed calls from Gladio, and 15 texts.