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[ Ignis had been already worried about Prompto and his condition, his illness and the sleepwalking spells. To learn that Noctis almost died had most certainly rattled his cage. From the short amount of time he's been here, this place had been safe enough, but a bit weird at times.

He'd been in and out of Noct's room since he found out, but not getting much of a response. It worries him, but all he can do is wait for Noctis to wake up.

It's been a couple of days since he's found out. Ignis stands near Noct's door and gives off a couple of knocks. ]

Noct?

[ He's not sure when to expect Noctis awake, so he gives it a couple of minutes. ]

[It does take a bit, but after a couple of attempts there's a sound of stirring behind the door, the soft whuff of a dog, and then a muffled,]

Yeah...?

[You have permission, Ignis! And Noct is awake, albeit somewhat reluctantly, buried amidst a blanket pile where it's warm and comfortable. The perfect place to sleep off the worst stasis of his life.]

[ Ignis exhales a sigh of relief as it floods his system to. It's so good to hear Noctis' voice.

He opens the door and steps inside, letting it shut behind him. ]

How are you feeling?

Mm... fine.

[And while he doesn't sound fine, there isn't much in the way of pain in his voice. He sounds more like he does when he's awoken on a bad day where he wasn't able to sleep the night before and had too many obligations to catch up.

He shifts the blankets so they're drawn off his head, his voice no longer muffled.]

Noct, you've been out for a couple of days at best.

[ He follows the sound of Noct's voice and the shuffling of the blankets, taking care to step around from what he assumes to be Umbra in the process.

Ignis doesn't bother hiding the worry in his tone, or the relief that he's feeling here. ]

[Umbra's curled up with Noct on the bed, if that helps him navigate, so there are no obstacles on the floor besides perhaps a discarded shirt from the day before. There's a soft thump in that direction as he wags his tail against the blanket.

Noctis is quiet for a long moment, recognizing the concern in Ignis' voice, giving a blank stare to the ceiling and feeling one more overwhelming wave of pure weariness that can't be shaken.]

...Yeah. [He knows what's coming, so... no point in delaying.] You talked to Pyra?

[ He stops when he reaches the bed, pausing there and wait to see if Noctis makes room for him to sit down or not. ]

... I did. [ He exhales a sigh. He heard enough of the story to get the gist of it, but he knows the big things. ] Got room for one more?

[Another long moment of quiet as he hesitates, and then, wordlessly, Noctis reaches out and wraps his fingers around Ignis' wrist, tugging weakly, a silent invitation.]

[ Ignis goes with Noctis' movements here, and he lets his hands guide him down on the bed, quietly sitting down next to Noctis.

He takes a moment here. ]

I know she and Ardyn saved your life, [ he starts quietly ] and how you almost died.

[ He'd been caught up in not accepting Noctis' own fate, that, well, he hadn't forgotten about the normal dangers that are out in the world. Finding Prompto was certainly a wake up call there. ]

Pyra, [ he reaches for the hand around his waist and takes it in his own, twining their fingers together. ] she thought I would blame her for what happened to you, but I don't. I made sure that she knows it.

You were only trying to help her, but it backfired on you, so I don't fault you there either. [ A small pause as he catches his breath. ] Noct, please, be more careful going forward.

[It's gentler than Noctis would have expected; for that, he feels both guilty and grateful. He really must be in rough shape if Ignis isn't taking the opportunity to lecture him properly. His hand holds fast to Ignis', his exhale one of resignation.]

I thought I was being careful. Figured it'd be worse if something like that was out in the world where anyone could get ahold of it. I... didn't know that something could hurt me from inside the armory.

[His hand tightens a little, unconsciously; he should be used to his own powers hurting himself by now, but this was on a whole other level. With the Arms and the ring, he'd always had the option to stop.]

[ Ignis is flat out tired and exhausted from worrying himself silly over both Noctis and Prompto that he can't bring himself to lecture Noctis. Even with Pyra's help, he has been pushing himself a little harder to take care of the pair.

He tightens his own hand when he feels Noctis doing it, taking a moment to think. ]

I can only guess that that armory didn't like something not from our world and it hurt you. Unless you've done it before?

I haven't, but that isn't why. It was busted, shooting off a bunch of lightning energy, and it couldn't be turned off. That's why we wanted to keep it safe.

[His free hand rests on his chest, scratching idly at the material of his shirt as if searching for an itch to the core of his soul itself. It still feels weird, and he can't access the armory yet, but it doesn't feel wrong like it did before.]

It's, um. It's still in the armory. But it's okay now, I think. It's not doing that anymore.

Yes, Pyra mentioned that she dived deep into your soul and helped you repair it.

[ He'd gathered that much that it was still in the armory, but that conversation had taken a big turn when she revealed that Noctis almost died, then she needed the reassurance from Ignis that he didn't blame her. ]

I get the feeling that's a guarded secret of hers. [ He adds on quietly, recalling her hesitation before she revealed that to him. ]

[Noctis blinks, falling quiet again, genuinely surprised by the admission. Pyra really has been keeping her secrets so closely, he never imagined she'd reveal this to anyone. He hopes she hadn't felt forced into it, due to him being hurt.]

...Yeah... yeah, it is. But you...

[Based on Ignis' earlier words, he didn't judge Pyra for supposedly causing all of this, which makes that one more person who doesn't blame her for it. It's such a relief.]

Are you okay with it? Her not exactly being normal?

Of course, we've dealt with stranger things after all.

[ He gives their joined hands a squeeze. ]

I may not understand how she dived deep into your soul like that, but she saved your life. You're safe and alive.

[ That's all he can ask for at this moment in time. It's up to Pyra if she ever wants to reveal the rest of it, but Ignis isn't going to push it. ]

...Mm.

[He's glad Ignis isn't prying; he can't explain Mythra's existence without breaching Pyra's trust, and he wouldn't even know where to begin anyway. What truly matters is the intent behind that response, and it's one he's grateful for.]

...Thanks... for being gentle with her. For not blaming her, and... I know she worries that people might not accept her for who she is, so the fact that you can probably meant more to her than she'd say.

[ He tugs on their joined hands, as if to get Noctis into an upright position if he has the energy to. ]

Of course, Noct. I know she's.... important to you. [ And after their earlier talk and what Pyra's done for Noctis: ] She's part of the family. [ Translation: Pyra better be ready for a fussy Ignis if she ever gets injured or ill herself. ]

Right... good. Yeah.

[His voice grows a little more sure with each word he utters, and with some effort, he manages to push himself into a sitting position and drag his body enough to lean against the bed's backboard. He's upright! It's a miracle. And he kind of just wants to lie back down, but he'll try to stay up as long as he can. He hasn't let go of Ignis' hand.]

Iggy... sorry for worrying you.

[ He's not going to let Noctis suffer like that. As soon as he hears him sit up, Ignis lets their joined hands go and he reaches out to grasp his shoulder before he gently tugs Noctis into a hug, supporting him that way. ]

It's alright, you know why I worry the way I do.

[ Pyra had said things to him at the wedding to, how Noctis considers him to be one of best friends and family, even though Noctis hasn't outright said it himself, Ignis just knows how he feels through his actions alone. ]

The only thing you can do is to keep getting better.

[ It had been such a relief to hear Noctis' voice finally. He honestly needed it and the simple touch as a reminder that yes, Noctis is alive and well now. ]

[Noct's breath catches at first, almost resisting before he folds into it and closes his eyes, his head slumping against Ignis' shoulder. Yeah, okay... maybe he needed this. Just maybe.]

Bet the Astrals would be pissed... [He exhales noisily, a half-choked laugh.] Thousands of years waiting, and I almost get myself killed by putting a magic bomb in my hammerspace. What a way to go.

[He won't cry. He won't, he's fine. But... it hurt so much, and it scared the hell out of him. He didn't want to die here. Didn't want to die at all, and... this is the first time he's come so close since he learned his true fate.]

[ He knows Noctis better than that. He shifts his grip into a protective one and rubs at his back gently with a hand. ]

It's okay, I'm here. [ Despite being blind, he can see through Noctis' words clearly. ] Let it out if you need to, Noct.

[ It'll be impossible for Ignis not to cry himself if Noctis gets started, he'd been worried sick. He'd been given quite the fright when he'd heard that Noctis nearly died. ]

[Whether it's a comfort to Ignis or not, Noctis doesn't cry. He's too tired for visceral grief, but his heart is still pounding in his chest, his breath quick and short as he holds on tight. The feeling of arms around him, a warm body pressed to his, every point of contact a reminder that he's alive... it helps, undeniably. He'd managed to remain eerily calm while it was happening, and since then he'd mostly slept. He doesn't really want to think too hard about how bad it almost became.

Here he is confronted by it, though. Where's he supposed to escape to when everyone's worried sick about him disappearing for good?]

[ Ignis say nothing after that, he's quiet while he feels Noctis griping at him tighter, hearing his breathing coming out quicker. Though he doesn't know the full extent of it still, Noctis had gone through a terrible ordeal. He'd almost died and that alone would scare the hell out of anyone, no matter how brave one can be. He doesn't fault Noctis at all for needing the comfort like this, hell, Ignis himself needs it to.

He turns his cheek to rest on top of Noctis' head, strengthening his hold on Noct.

Ignis is trying to be strong for the pair, but he can't be. He's too afraid to let go right now, that if he does, Noctis might disappear.

His own heartbeat picks up a bit and he tries to keep his breathing calm, key word try, but it comes out shaky. Otherwise, Ignis is offering his silent comfort and his protective embrace; clinging to his friend just as hard as he is. He's not breaking the silence until Noctis does; they need each other right now. ]

[He doesn't especially want to admit to anything, but it's hard to deny when he's like this. He lingers in the silent embrace for as long as he suspects he can get away with before he shifts a little, turning his head so his voice will no longer be muffled by Ignis' shirt, and pauses to control his breathing.]

I... guess I really don't want to die. [Another faint exhale, tremulous, frightened.] I thought if I just told myself I could handle it enough times I'd get there, and now- [He can barely breathe. Thinking about it scares the shit out of him. He'd faced it down and now the aftermath is wretched. This is how he's going to leave those he loves? He survived this time. When it happens for real they'll be left with the broken pieces, and the thought is so much worse.] Can't even die for one person without losing my head. I hate what this is doing to you guys. How am I supposed to do this for the world...?

[It's been a long time since he'd felt fear as crippling as this. He'll... need some time to reassemble his priorities, to remember what truly matters and what doesn't. His life is nothing, his future is nothing, this isn't allowed to shake him, he's stronger than this...]

[ They stay together, quiet like that for a couple of minutes. Ignis would've been comfortable just holding onto Noctis if that's what he needed, he wouldn't have pried too hard into it. He feels Noctis shifting his head and he lifts his own up while Noct readjusts, then he rests his cheek back down comfortably back on top of Noctis' head.

Ignis remains quiet while Noctis speaks up and stays that way even when he's done. He's feeling a few things here and he needs a moment to get his thoughts together, while he does so, he gets his legs up on the bed, taking great care not to disturb Umbra in the process. He feels his way to the bed's backboard, never letting go of Noctis in the process, getting them both comfortable. ]

It's good to hear, [ he says gently, feeling that wave a relief wash over his body and mind. From what he recalls from their previous conversation, Noctis had more or less accepted his fate, which has made Ignis think that he's been ready to sacrifice himself for the world. ] no one wants to die, Noct. I'll be a lot more worried about you if you didn't feel afraid.

[ It's breaking his heart to hear Noctis in this state of distress though. Noctis carries a heavy burden on his shoulders and that alone isn't fair. Ignis too, has been carrying that weight on his shoulders, just the knowledge of Noctis' fate since Altissia. Ignis never wanted to pressure Noctis into talking about it, he'd always left his own door open for him to come to Ignis with. Perhaps this sudden brush of death got Noctis into talking about it. One can think that can be ready, but they really may not be.

Ignis had been ready to sacrifice his own life when he'd used the ring to rescue Noctis, but he hadn't wanted to die. He'd be lying to himself that there had been a small part of him afraid, terrified to leave Noctis like that. He's been forgiven for his actions from back then, that was one of the roughest talks they had when he'd first gotten in.

Ignis wants nothing more but to find a way to save his friend, but he can't make promises that he can't keep. He's terrified out of his mind that he'll fail in that, that even with the huge time window, that he'll fail Noctis. But he has to try, he has to find a way to rescue both Noctis and the world of Eos. ]

Noct, [ surprised at his own tone coming over rattled, shaken and understandably so. He would've lost Noctis if Pyra and Ardyn hadn't done what they did. ] you know I'll try to find a way to save you, that much I can promise you.

[ Noctis has been this constant comfort in his life and it terrifies him to think of losing him in that way, in any way. A world without Noctis in it is a terrifying thing, which is why he'd been happy to hear Noctis' voice when he first got in. If Ignis ever goes home again, he has to wait an awful long time for Noctis to come out of the crystal, just to say goodbye, but he doesn't want to. He's not ready, gods, he's not ready to say that farewell, he doesn't think he'd ever be.

Ignis is attempting to cradle Noctis against his chest, as if to protect him from the outside world for a while. This is a talk that they've been needing to have and he knows deep down that it can't be fixed with a single conversation. There's no real solution here, he feels, the only thing he can do is try to be here for whenever Noctis needs him this way again.

He doesn't have a solid answer as to how Noctis is supposed to do this for the world. Particularly since Ignis has been pushing that thought out of his mind, he's been enjoying their time together here. He has yet to accept what's to come himself, that's also playing a factor into the not knowing what to say or do to that comment.

He takes another moment just to think about it, exhaling softly. ] I'm sorry, [ not liking not having an answer to this, he's always had an answer at least to whatever issue Noctis may be facing no matter how big or small. But he can't come up with one now. ] I... I don't know how you're supposed to do this for the world. [ His tone quite shaken still as he tightens his grip further. But maybe that's answer that he can't give, maybe that's something that Noctis has to find for himself. No one can have answers all of the time.

Right?

Ignis just hopes that this is enough to help Noctis through his fear. He hasn't heard his friend this shaken in a long, long while. ]

Backdated to Jan 1st!

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