Watching Ignis stumble back, watching him fall... The anger fizzles, fear taking over for a moment, then the anger burns hotter and brighter, now directed inward instead of at Ignis. Iggy who never deserved it in the first place and why did he do that? Why did he push him away, literally push him.
The ache in his chest sharpens, anger and pain and regret, so much regret, so many years of mistakes burdened on his shoulders.
It isn't until Ignis is moving again that Gladio is able to pull himself up out of the deepening spiral of regret and disgust and all the things he's done so wrong for so long and-
He doesn't make a conscious decision to move, doesn't think about where he's going or what's happening. Nearly two decades of training telling his body what to do long before his mind is consulted. That screech means danger, the fear on Ignis' face (fear that Gladio is terrified might be directed at himself) the rising temperature all mean a call to action.
"IGNIS!" He drops to one knee in front of him using his body to block in Ignis' front, one knee planted on the stones beside him, the other foot braced on the other side. There's the sharp shatter snap of the armiger and a metal clang as the second cry rings out, the cool press of Gladio's shield at Ignis' back, Gladio's arms boxing him in,drawing the shield in so that it meets the top of Gladio's head where he is hunched over above Ignis. There's gaps, certainly, but they are few and Ignis' face and torso are completely protected, Gladio's body serving as much as a shield as the actual weapon at his back.
The heat flares up around them and Gladio grits his teeth, tears still leaking traitorously from his eyes and the smell of burning hair is thick and choking on the air. He can hear the rumble of daemons behind them, the screech of the firebird mingling with the chittering of Arachnes, the wet sucking sounds of the stones shifting in the sand that of flan closing in on them even as they fight to find their way around the fallen corpse of the great beast Cerberus. The thundering of his pulse in his ears the steps of giants.
His breath came faster, another screech, another surge of heat, a grunt of pain but he refused to move, the smell turning to char and ash just like all of Insomnia and when he finally forces his eyes open all he can see is the top of Ignis' head and the darkness around them, even the sun overhead forgotten in that one moment of blinding terror. Cor, falling honorable as always, Ignis' scars... Ignis burning too, burning for him and he dropped one hand from his shield to wrap an arm around Ignis' shoulders, dragging him in against his chest, curling himself defensively around Ignis' head. "No, no... no no no." A desperate chant as he braced for another blow.
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The ache in his chest sharpens, anger and pain and regret, so much regret, so many years of mistakes burdened on his shoulders.
It isn't until Ignis is moving again that Gladio is able to pull himself up out of the deepening spiral of regret and disgust and all the things he's done so wrong for so long and-
He doesn't make a conscious decision to move, doesn't think about where he's going or what's happening. Nearly two decades of training telling his body what to do long before his mind is consulted. That screech means danger, the fear on Ignis' face (fear that Gladio is terrified might be directed at himself) the rising temperature all mean a call to action.
"IGNIS!" He drops to one knee in front of him using his body to block in Ignis' front, one knee planted on the stones beside him, the other foot braced on the other side. There's the sharp shatter snap of the armiger and a metal clang as the second cry rings out, the cool press of Gladio's shield at Ignis' back, Gladio's arms boxing him in,drawing the shield in so that it meets the top of Gladio's head where he is hunched over above Ignis. There's gaps, certainly, but they are few and Ignis' face and torso are completely protected, Gladio's body serving as much as a shield as the actual weapon at his back.
The heat flares up around them and Gladio grits his teeth, tears still leaking traitorously from his eyes and the smell of burning hair is thick and choking on the air. He can hear the rumble of daemons behind them, the screech of the firebird mingling with the chittering of Arachnes, the wet sucking sounds of the stones shifting in the sand that of flan closing in on them even as they fight to find their way around the fallen corpse of the great beast Cerberus. The thundering of his pulse in his ears the steps of giants.
His breath came faster, another screech, another surge of heat, a grunt of pain but he refused to move, the smell turning to char and ash just like all of Insomnia and when he finally forces his eyes open all he can see is the top of Ignis' head and the darkness around them, even the sun overhead forgotten in that one moment of blinding terror. Cor, falling honorable as always, Ignis' scars... Ignis burning too, burning for him and he dropped one hand from his shield to wrap an arm around Ignis' shoulders, dragging him in against his chest, curling himself defensively around Ignis' head. "No, no... no no no." A desperate chant as he braced for another blow.