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Cursing his exhaustion, Ignis barely managed to duck out of the way when some form of projectile went sailing across the convenience store. The item thwacked into the opposite wall with a metallic clunk, and immediately began making a hissing noise. This was followed by a thick haze of smoke moving across the ceiling, causing Ignis’ eyes and throat to burn. He’d only been after a damned can of Ebony. This was the last thing he needed on a Friday night, after a grueling week of work.
Figures this would happen to him, Ignis should have known better. The store had reeked of alpha scent when he’d entered, and he’d foolishly chosen to ignore it. By now, the few other patrons in the store were hysterical, and any chance of parsing out the changing scents was hopeless. The visibility was getting worse by the minute, but he had to take action without hurting innocent civilians.
Instinctively crouching down to get away from what was certainly tear gas, Ignis wasn’t left with any time to decipher the meaning of the apparent attack when he caught movement out of the corner of his eye. Summoning his daggers, Ignis wasted no time and adopted a defensive stance. One thing was certain: he needed to get out. Otherwise, the tear gas would make fighting near impossible. Squinting into the smoke with watery eyes, he suppressed a cough and tried to rush toward the exit. No sooner had he gone two steps did a large shadowy figure appear before him, one that happened to be wearing a gas mask.
This only made him angrier. If they were that prepared, then they meant to do harm. Lashing out with his dagger, the figure dodged and backed away. Struggling to see, Ignis could only brace when a second masked assailant appeared out of the gloom and tried to take a swing at him. Barely managing to avoid getting clocked, Ignis threw himself to the side and collided with the checkout counter.
Scrambling to remain upright, he began coughing roughly and had to fight the urge to rub his eyes. He needed to get outside. Limited by the location and the other helpless customers, Ignis couldn’t use his normal attacks. There was no telling the damage he’d do in a place like this.
Perhaps he could force his way out. Looking through the haze, he spotted an opening between the two masked men. Pushing off the counter, he ran for the door. However, this is where things began to go very badly. He made it past them, but it was almost as if they were allowing him passage. This suspicion was made fact when Ignis was within reach of the door.
A blast, most certainly from a gun of some kind, pierced the air. The shot had come from his right, near the door. There was a third attacker, he’d been ambushed. A new pinching sensation manifested in his ribs, but that was barely noticeable. The world suddenly going sideways, and his vision seriously blurring, which was far more alarming and could mean only one thing. He’d been shot with a bloody tranquilizer dart!
--
“Are you still there?” Prompto asked in a rush, wondering if the line had gone dead.
“M’here,” Gladio replied in a tone Prompto rarely heard from the older alpha. “I just found his glasses is all.”
“We’ll find him,” he assured, being only slightly comforted by the lack of a body as evidence to the contrary.
Gladio remained silent for another long moment before the phone line crackled to life again, “I know, I’m not giving up till he’s home and safe with us. Any luck with tracing the car?” he tacked on quietly.
“Noct and I are still looking, but we know which direction they headed. We just need to see if we can figure out if they left the city limits or not.”
“This is not your run of the mill kidnapping, Prompto,” Gladio sighed. “They had tear gas, and were all wearing gas masks, according to the security footage. Plus, who uses a tranquilizer gun on a person?” he lamented. “Cor located the used dart on the sidewalk, but it wasn’t empty. Maybe Ignis pulled it out before it fully discharged, I dunno. I just don’t get it, why Ignis? They were clearly lying in wait for him, it was an ambush.”
“I know, big guy, I’ve been rewatching the tapes trying to see if I missed anyth--.”
“Found it!” Noct interrupted with a shout from where he’d been sitting, bent over a laptop, looking at street camera footage. “Plate is gone, but the car they shoved Specs into was shown leaving town via the east gate.”
“Gladio, did you hear that?!” Prompto asked quickly.
The sound of labored breathing reached his ears. Gladio was already running somewhere. “Send me the info, Cor, and I will get a head start!” The line disconnected without any fanfare, and Prompto did as instructed.
“Come on, we gotta get going too, I don’t wanna miss an opportunity to catch these guys!” Prompto announced rather emphatically.
--
Being jostled awake was never a pleasant feeling, nor was opening your eyes to the inside of a car trunk. Not one second after he’d regained consciousness, the car in question drove into another pothole, sending Ignis’ head bumping into the carpet once again. Wincing at the sensation, he attempted to remember what was going on. Gods, his head felt so heavy.
Why did everything feel so weird? Things were very confusing to Ignis. What had happened? Had he been in a fight? Trying to move produced another alarming discovery; his arms had been cuffed behind his back, and another pair was securing his ankles. How the hell had he not noticed!? Feeling his heart rate begin to spike, Ignis pulled at his restraints rather helplessly. They were metal, so he couldn’t hack at them with his daggers.
A vague memory came to him of the convenience store around the corner from home, but the customers all had gas masks. Oh – maybe he had been in a fight. Had he also been drugged? It would certainly explain his current situation. One he didn’t want to be in anymore. Without much thought as to the repercussions, Ignis fought through a wave of dizziness and wiggled around until his back was facing the trunk lid. Getting something to materialize from the armiger was proving difficult. Having his mind be so muddled wasn’t helping. All he wanted was to explode the back of the car with a lightning attack. How hard could that be?
Seemingly, thinking about his overall plan made the needed item finally pop into hand. Goodie, he could do what he wanted now. Being inside the trunk of a car was horrid. Without a second thought he unleashed the magic he summoned and immediately regretted it. Now things were getting very hairy, the car had started swerving wildly, and the back of the car was gone.
The hazy blur of the dark asphalt racing by wasn’t inviting at all, but he had to leave. Ignis had to roll out of the trunk and get away. Nothing was easy though, and the blasted brain fog he was dealing with only made things ten times harder. The part of him that handled self-preservation had gone on vacation and wasn’t coming back anytime soon.
So, when he decided to simply summon the largest shield they had stuffed in the armiger and use it like a surfboard, nothing seemed problematic about that idea. Until, he was skidding uncontrollably along a deserted stretch of highway outside Insomnia. Certain that he’d yelled rather undignified like, Ignis could only hold onto the grips on the inside of the shield, and pray the sickening motion would cease.
How he’d managed to successfully roll his body out and hit his mark was a mystery, but he’d done it. Now the only issue, after he’d come to a stop, was he couldn’t see a damn thing. It was dark out. Peering into the darkness, he could barely see the car he’d mangled veer off the road and crash into a ditch. There was unfortunately no explosion to follow like in the movies, but several shouts of either pain or rage erupted.
His pack needed to come get him, being stranded somewhere in the dark, and alone was simply intolerable. Wondering how he could call his mates, Ignis tried to get his phone out of his pocket, but it was sadly missing. Those dastardly fiends from the other car must have it. Making a mental note to get it back later, he immediately forgot when he remembered he had access to a different phone.
The emergency phone.
Thankfully, this one was easy to get out of the armiger. The not so easy bit was twisting around sideways to see it in his hands. Tapping it a few times, Ignis was about to yell when he had the idea to turn it on. Phones usually worked better when they were on. Yes, turn the phone on, then call his mates. This was a perfect plan.
It seemed like it took forever for the phone to come to life once he’d located the tiny power button. The bright Calls Like Magic tagline from Moogizon flashed briefly before a familiar screen appeared. Smashing the call icon for Gladio took a few presses to get it just right, but the phone began ringing faintly.
Right, he needed it on speaker phone, that was better. Craning his neck Ignis tried looking for the option to change the call to speaker, but he fumbled the thing when the line connected, and Gladio began asking nine million questions at once.
“Ignis! Are you okay? Where are you?! Are you hurt?” Gladio’s slightly disembodied voice queried into the night air.
“Gladiolus, you must come get me, I want to go home,” Ignis announced toward the night sky, albeit rather coolly despite his current situation.
“Thank the gods -- what’s – yeah I’m tryin’ to tell him Cor! Yes, we’re coming to get you right now.” Gladio replied rather hastily.
“Oh, the Marshall is with you, charming. Do hurry, the other people might come back.”
“Other people?! Shit, you mean the ones from the store? Can you try and tell me where you are?” Gladio’s voice now sounded very worried.
“I’m in the road, dearheart, I – oh, here they come, give me a moment,” Ignis commented when he noticed, or rather heard, voices approaching.
“You little omega bastard, we’re gonna get you for that!” One of the men from the wrecked car shouted in his direction.
Ignis had been distracted somewhat by his little conversation with his alpha. He needed to make these annoying idiots go away so he could go back to talking to Gladio. Who, at the moment, seemed to be having a panic attack of some kind based on the shouting coming from the phone. It was of no matter; Ignis knew how to defend himself.
Shimmying around a little on the upturned shield, Ignis decided to take a move out of Prompto’s playbook. Guns were probably a good way to handle this. Summoning a pistol, Ignis leveled the gun over his hip and took a pot shot. More shouts of panic were now filling the night air, but not from the phone. These halfwits attempting to kidnap him were screaming like a bunch of babies.
“You said he wasn’t armed!” one voice shouted loudly.
“He wasn’t,” another replied, “It’s that stupid magic toolbox he’s got; we need to get him all at once!”
Oh, they needed to get him all at once, Ignis mused. Well, there was a gun for that in the armiger. Next up in his docket of weaponry was another Prompto special.
The submachine gun.
Ignis thought he did rather well in his efforts at using the cumbersome gun, the people he’d been aiming at probably didn’t agree very much, but it was a moot point. They weren’t yelling at him anymore, so he couldn’t ask them about it.
Squinting out into the gloom, Ignis looked for any signs of movement. When nothing stirred, he let the gun slip back into the armiger. His ears were ringing a bit, but it would pass. Wondering if Gladio was still there, he called out.
“Gladiolus, where are you? I want a hug.” There was no answer, but Ignis was fairly certain it had to do with him not being able to hear quite well. Wondering if a potion would help, he snatched one from their stash in the armiger and broke the bottle.
A sudden rush of magic soothed his body and made his ears stop making noise. Now, Gladio’s voice was again present.
“-alright?! Babe talk to me, please!” Gladio all but begged.
“I’m here, I’ve not gone anywhere, where are you?” Ignis demanded. Lying on a lumpy shield in the middle of the road, while restrained and in the dark, was not fun.
It almost sounded like Gladio was crying when he answered, “We – we’ll be there in a minute, I’m tracking your phone signal and we saw the – we saw the gunfire up the road.”
“Good, I want to go home. You also need to find the key for these things,” Ignis sighed, before letting his eyes slip closed. What an exhausting evening, he wanted to hug Gladio and the rest of his mates and go to sleep.
“Keys? Ignis, what are you --, oh gods, we see you.” Gladio announced as the world became blindingly bright.
A car had arrived and Ignis was trying to look for Gladio when he heard alpha’s voice loud and clear. Thank the gods he was going home. “Love, help me,” Ignis whined when Gladio appeared beside him, looking somewhat worse for wear. “Why is your face wet? What has happened to you? Who hurt you?” Ignis filed off in rapid succession.
Gladio simply let out a laugh that sounded more like sob before he collapsed on the pavement next to him, “M’fine, but what about you?” he asked, gathering Ignis in his arms and holding him gently.
Another figure appeared over Gladio’s shoulder, and Ignis nearly summoned the gun again until he saw the familiar outline of a katana. Right, Cor had been with Gladio. They came together, but where were his other mates? “Gladiolus, where are Noctis and Prompto? I need to see them too,” he requested, letting out a sigh.
“He’s using full names, he’s high,” Cor announced, looking down at him with a frown, “guess that dart they used made him a little loopy.”
“Loopy?!” Ignis repeated, slightly offended at being called such a thing. “I’m not loopy, never was. Cor, you need to find my phone, those ruffians took it, and the keys to these blasted things,” he ordered, giving his shackled wrists a shake for good measure. “And – and can we go home now?”
“On it, Ignis,” Cor replied, “But first, are you in pain?”
“Pain? Nooo?” Ignis answered slowly, “I don’t think so, nothing hurts anymore.” That statement seemed to affect Gladio, judging by the strangled noise he let loose.
“Gladio, give him a quick check over. I’ll see about getting Ignis’ things from the aforementioned ruffians.”
Turning his attention back to his alpha, Ignis forgot what he wanted to say when he made eye contact. Gladio was so handsome, and he really wanted to take a nap in his arms. “Can I take a quick nap? I’m tired.”
“You can do whatever you want, babe,” Gladio responded hoarsely. “I thought we lost you there for a bit, you scared the shit outta me.”
“Well, I was technically lost, or at least I didn’t know where I was. Does that count?”
Gladio hugged him harder and shook his head, “Not quite, but we can talk about it later, kay?”
“Yes, that would be ni--.” Ignis’ next words were drowned out by a scuffle down the road.
“Auggghhh!! You fu--,” The yelling abruptly stopped only to be followed by a fleshy pounding noise. This too ceased after a few seconds.
The sound of magic materializing distracted Ignis away from whatever was happening. Looking around, he saw Gladio had summoned his great sword with his free arm and was ready for battle. Oh, yes, that was a good idea. Cor was out there alone, dealing with those idiots from earlier. Pulling Prompto’s handgun from the armiger, Ignis waited to see what he could do.
However, Gladio’s somewhat panicked reaction grabbed his attention. “Be careful,” he worried, “Cor is still out there, don’t fire that okay?”
“Never,” Ignis chided, “I know better, that’s why I didn’t fight back in the store, too many innocent people.” Ah, his memory was getting somewhat clearer. The dreaded store, his earlier suspicion of having been in a fight was now confirmed. His announcement earned him a kiss to the forehead, which made Ignis forget what they were preparing to fight for. “What’s Cor doing again?” he asked.
“Getting your stuff back!” came a gruff answer. Cor appeared a moment later, sword sheathed, but he was shaking his hand like he’d hit something repeatedly. “Gladio has your glasses, I got your phone, and I found the keys to those things,” he listed off when he neared.
Ignis watched Gladio dismiss his sword as Cor knelt down beside them to unlock his restraints. “Uh, Ignis, you can put the gun away, I took care of what you nearly finished out there.”
“Right, right, we heard things and wanted to be of assistance if necessary.”
“You did most of the work, like a lot of the work actually,” admitted Cor with a wild look. “Gladio, why don’t you take a peak before we leave?”
“I don’t wanna le—“ Gladio started before Cor cut him off.
“No, you need to go look. That wasn’t a suggestion. I think I can manage here,” Cor supplied, releasing Ignis’ wrists and moving onto his ankles.
“Will you be okay?” Gladio checked as he eased away and made sure Ignis would stay sitting upright on his own.
“M’fine darling, go make sure I didn’t leave anything else behind in the car trunk.”
Gladio looked at him with such concern Ignis thought he might start crying. Then, without another word he stood up and plodded off into the darkness.
“Should I go look too?”
“I think you got a good enough look already. Come on, wanna see if you can stand without falling over?”
“I will not fall over,” Ignis defended before nearly face planting when he got up on his own two feet. Cor’s arm around his shoulders kept him upright as they waited for Gladio to return. The battered shield he’d surfed on finally disappeared in a flash of blue sparks. “Where’s the rest of my pack?” he asked forlornly, staring off into the distance hoping they’d magically appear out of nowhere.
A snort erupted from Cor, “You’ll see them soon, when Gladio gets back we’ll be on our way.”
“Promise?” Ignis didn’t really want to wait any longer. He needed to sleep and eat, and hug his mates. Not necessarily in that order, but he didn’t want to be out where they were anymore.
The sound of boots running along the pavement drew their attention before Cor could respond, it was Gladio, but he didn’t look happy. “We need to uh, get going, like now. There are daemons headed this way.”
“And aren’t we the proper hosts,” exclaimed Ignis, “We left them hors d'oeuvres.”
“Ouch, that’s rough. How the hell do you keep your composure during council meetings, Ignis?” Cor asked.
“It takes monumental willpower Marshal,” he replied gravely. “At times, I wonder how I’m able to withstand such levels of ignorance without going insane.” Ignis was again distracted from adding more thoughts on the matter when Cor carefully pushed him in Gladio’s direction. His alpha swept him off his feet like it was nothing and headed for the car.
Humming happily, Ignis remembered his original plan, napping. Now he could sleep! Gladio was holding him. Getting into the backseat took some effort since Ignis never relinquished his grip, but Gladio adapted, and soon enough, he was cocooned in a pair of strong arms.
“Did you call Noct already?” Cor asked, heading back to town.
“Yeah, I spoke with Prompto briefly; they wanted to meet us out here, but I warned em off, said it was better if they picked us up at the gate. Uh, do we need to do anything more about the mess on the road?”
“Not tonight, we don’t! Good riddance, the crownsguard can come and salvage what’s left in the morning.”
“And you say I’m rough,” Ignis chimed in with an accusing finger leveled at the back of Cor’s head. “Are we home yet?” he asked again, dropping his hand. “Oh – oh that noise we heard earlier, was that you Marshal?! Were you hitting something?”
Barking out a laugh, Cor answered, “It wasn’t a something Ignis, it was a someone, soon to be a no one.”
“Ah, you mean the idiots, yes, they were annoying. But we’re going home now so it doesn’t matter,” Ignis added for good measure. Leaning closer, he buried his face in Gladio’s neck and let out a long sigh. In no time at all, he’d be resting comfortably with his pack. Remembering their absence, he attempted to negotiate their arrival. “Why are Noctis and Prompto not here?”
Gladio snorted and squeezed him a little harder, “Babe, you gotta sit tight for a bit, we’re meeting up with them very soon.”
Only marginally satisfied with his alpha’s answer, Ignis let his eyes slip closed and drifted off, listening to Gladio’s heartbeat.
--
“I see them!” Prompto enthused, jumping out of the passenger seat and waving frantically.
“Careful not to get run over, Cor’s drivin’ you know,” Noct called out before Prompto shut the door on him, prompting him to roll down the driver’s window.
“He would not run me over, Noct,” Prompto deadpanned, coming around the car. “I know you think the stories your dad tells you about Cor’s driving are true, but they’re not. I’ve been on missions with him before. He drives really well, just like Iggy.”
“Whatever,” Noct grumbled under his breath. “I’m still kinda bummed we didn’t get to give those jerks a whooping.”
“Dude, from what Gladio told me, there wasn’t anything left to whoop. I think Cor was only able to beat up one already mangled baddie.”
“There had to be something we could have kicked.”
Prompto shook his head vigorously, “Gladio said the back of the car had been blown up, he thinks Iggy used a lightning magic attack while he was in the trunk, and just blasted his way out. Not to mention he was pretty sure Iggy also used my crazy big gun to fire at them later when they tried to recapture him.”
“Yeah, you mentioned that, but like how? Didn’t Gladio also say he was handcuffed?”
“He witnessed it first hand,” Prompto added quickly. “Iggy thought Cor needed help, and he summoned a gun like it was nothing.”
“I still am having a hard time believing the other part, do you really think he’s high?”
Nodding slowly, Prompto quirked an eyebrow at his alpha, “he apparently keeps asking for us, expect he’s using everyone’s full name. Gladiolus this, and Noctis that. He’s high.”
“Damn, I cannot wait to see that.”
“Hey, aren’t you going to get out of the car?”
Noct looked miserable when he answered, “Prom, I can’t, I know I’ll take one look at Ignis, and then I won’t want to drive home. I’ll just want to cuddle with my omega, and then we’ll all be stuck here on the side of the road.”
“Can’t Cor drive us home? More of the crownsguard are coming, I mean we sorta tore outta there without waiting for anyone, and someone could drive our car back later.”
“I think Cor would probably run us through before we made it home. Gladio and I will both be pushing pheromones like crazy, you’ll get too giddy to drive and Ignis – I don’t know what to expect. So yeah, probably safer if we don’t share with anyone.”
“Okay, buddy,” Prompto replied quietly, despite knowing that Noct was a total liar. He’d be out of the car the second Cor pulled up, which is exactly what happened not two and a half minutes later. Nearly getting bowled over by your own alpha was comical. Noct practically tripped them both as he scrambled to get the door open before Cor had even fully stopped.
“How is he?!” Noct asked frantically, trying to assess the situation.
Prompto couldn’t see much over his shoulders, but he did catch the eye roll Gladio gave him. “Noct he’s sleeping, be careful, will ya?” Gladio chided.
“But I wanna hug him,” pouted Noct, still trying to get as close as he could without crawling on Gladio’s lap.
Gladio sighed like some put upon lover from a soap opera, “YOU take him then, go sit in the back with Iggy and Prom, and I’ll drive us home. Hmmm? How about that?”
Noct was in motion before Gladio finished talking. Knowing he’d need help, Prompto patiently waited for Noct to make some sort of noise indicating he’d bitten off more than he could chew. Normally, Prompto would have already had a panic attack about wanting to make sure Ignis was okay, but when Gladio had called him earlier to quickly explain things it had helped him calm down. In hindsight, Noct hadn’t heard the conversation so he was understandably freaking out. “Hey, buddy I can uh – whoa watch his head!” Prompto exclaimed when Noct tried to lift Ignis and pull him out.
“Are we home yet?!” shouted a suddenly awake Ignis, startling them all and making Noct lose his footing.
Barely managing to react in time, Prompto caught Noct under the arms and took the brunt of his prince and omega literally falling on him in the middle of the street. Groaning under the weight, he was distracted with Ignis noticed him.
“Prompto, finally you’re here, I’ve been waiting for ages,” he trilled, not the least bit phased by their current position. “Noctis, why are you on the floor? We need to go home.” Ignis didn’t wait for a reply and turned slightly to look back up to the car. Gladio seemed like he’d given up on life, and had his arms held out in disbelief. Their omega didn’t pick up on his annoyance and simply grabbed his outstretched hand and pulled.
Worried for a moment that Gladio would join their impromptu cuddle pile, Prompto squeaked out a protest. “Don’t squish me!” But it was for naught; Gladio remained solidly in place and instead pulled Ignis back up in the seat with him.
Ignis seemingly forgot what was going on and snuggled up against Gladio like he’d never left, “Are we home yet?”
“This is not my fault,” Gladio announced to seemingly no one. “Please tell the king his son is currently acting like a child.”
Wiggling out from underneath Noct, Prompto peered into the car and saw Cor with his phone out, filming. Waving like a dork out of habit, he was accosted by Ignis and roughly pulled into the car.
“Hey, wait for me!” Noct begged, scrambling after him and falling again. What a chaotic mess they all were.
“For gods sakes, just close the door and I’ll drive you home,” Cor sighed fondly. “I see the rest of the convoy coming they can take your car home later.”
Prompto didn’t wait for any verbal confirmation from his mates. Practically slamming the door shut he grabbed hold of Noct’s belt and hauled him up off the floor, and onto their laps. Ignis was in the middle, sporting the biggest smile Prompto had seen on the man in ages.
The car was in motion a split second later, causing Noct to yelp since he had nothing to hang onto. “I told you he drives crazy!” This statement simply caused Cor to brake check the car, and send Noct tumbling off to the floorboards. “See!” Noct cried out, thumping the back of Cor’s seat for emphasis.
“That’s what you get dear, the Marshal is not one to be trifled with,” Ignis tacked on before grinning innocently. “Why are you still on the floor? You need to be here,” he added, pointing to his lap.
Gladio groaned and leaned over to rest his head on Ignis’ shoulder, “babe, I thought you were tired?”
“I had a power nap,” Ignis quipped. “Up, up, come on,” he continued motioning toward Noct.
The resulting seating arrangement was mildly suffocating, but Ignis was happy and that’s what counted. Trying to fit four grown men into the backseat of a sedan was not something one did on a regular basis. However, Prompto didn’t really care; he was currently clinging to Ignis and feeling emotional. He’d held it together up until this point but seeing all his mates fawning over Ignis made him feel things. They could have lost all of this. Focusing instead on how they’d been successful, Prompto began thinking of what they were going to do when they finally got home.
--
Suffering through a squished, but happy car ride home, Gladio could only sit and thank the gods Ignis was okay. Not knowing what fate had awaited his mate along with his harrowing phone call from earlier, Gladio thought he’d lost at least five years off his life. Grateful Noct and Prompto had missed the exchange; he was able to instead focus on keeping Noct from falling off the seat as he clung to Ignis.
Both Prompto and Noct had a death grip on their omega, and were whispering words of comfort to him. Not that he needed it, Ignis was out of it and simply happy to have everyone literally within reach. The more likely scenario was that everyone else needed reassurance, and playing it off as offering support counted towards calming their own racing thoughts.
No one moved a muscle until they pulled into the building’s parking garage. Cor, at some point, had lowered his window slightly, most likely to avoid going crazy from the potpourri of scents they were all emitting. Two alphas pumping out calming pheromones, Ignis’ hard to decipher yet pleasant smell, and poor Prompto barely hanging onto his emotions was a bit much, all combined.
When the car came to a stop, Gladio quickly popped his door open. Heaving a sigh of relief he attempted to get his mates moving. They really needed to get Ignis upstairs, cleaned up, and resting with some good food and company. Thinking he’d have his work cut out for him, Gladio was saved the trouble when a still rather dazed Ignis realized where he was.
“Why have we stopped?” Ignis asked curiously, peering out into the vast concrete cavern that was the building parking garage. “Are we home?” he checked, his eyes lighting up with hope. Gladio attempted to answer, but Ignis beat him to it. “Oh, oh, there’s the crooked no trespassing sign we make fun of,” Ignis pointed out happily, “Excellent, we’re here.”
Having an inkling of what was to come; Gladio rushed forward just in time when Ignis began moving toward the door, dragging Noct along with him. Witnessing Noct flailing around was amusing, he again had no way to support himself, and Gladio easily caught him when Ignis made his exit. Hefting him up with a grunt, Noct didn’t even comment and immediately took Ignis’ arm to make sure he didn’t stumble.
Prompto was hot on heels, and gave Ignis a gentle push to keep him moving forward. Wondering if he should carry his omega, Gladio waited to see how he’d do walking to the elevator.
Cor’s voice broke his concentration a moment later, “I’ve already alerted the doctor, they’ll be by soon to give him a once over,” he announced from his seat. “Go rest, and make sure he’s okay.”
“I’ll keep you posted,” Gladio promised, “Thanks for the ride; I know it probably wasn’t the most pleasant experience.”
Cor smirked but didn’t complain, “I’m glad I could provide assistance, don’t worry about it. Go on, I think you may need to lend a hand,” he said with a nod toward his pack.
Turning, Gladio sprinted over to the elevator to catch up. Ignis was currently sandwiched between Noct and Prompto and staying upright, mostly. Smashing the call button he wondered if they could make it back to the suite in one piece.
Ignis was apparently singularly minded, and wanted nothing more than to be home, if his fast paced walk down the hallway was any indication. Gladio had to run to squeeze past them to get the door unlocked and open. Stepping aside quickly to allow Ignis room, he haphazardly tumbled past with one arm slung over Noct’s shoulder, and the other over Prompto’s. Swinging the door shut Gladio followed, curious to know where Ignis was headed first.
“We must shower,” Ignis proclaimed, “I feel icky.”
“We’ll help!” Prompto and Noct answered in unison.
“Gladiolus, where are you?” Ignis called out, not bothering to look behind him. “I want us all to be together.”
“M’here babe,” he replied, coming around so he could see. “I’ll go get the water started, sound good?”
Ignis flashed him a dopey grin and nodded, “I’m hungry too,” he added without stopping their trek to the bathroom, apparently, his desire to be clean outweighed the need for sustenance.
The next ten minutes went by in a blur, and Gladio felt like he was trying to herd a group of kittens. Noct was all but useless; he’d taken it upon himself to be the chosen one cleaning Ignis. So of course, he could do nothing but wield a bar of soap, and administer body wash. Prompto was left to hold Ignis upright during this activity. Gladio didn’t think their beta minded, it gave the kid an excuse to literally be plastered up against Ignis’ side the whole time they were in the shower.
Gladio had tried to slip out of the massive shower stall to make sure they had enough towels at the ready, but Ignis would see him trying to slink away, and make grabby hands at him until he came back. Gladio finally gave up trying to be a step ahead, and began cleaning himself instead. Quickly figuring out all he needed to do was remain within sight to keep his omega happy, Gladio was content to stand under the hot water and let his stress drain away. Ignis’ idea, when they had moved in, to have their shower redone with multiple spray heads had been genius. They never had any issues sharing the bathroom together.
However, there was a small downside to that design, none of them wanted to leave the wonderfully toasty glass enclosure to get on with the evening. Or so Gladio thought, until he audibly heard, not Ignis’ stomach, but Prompto’s give a mighty rumble. It wasn’t surprising; Ignis’ ordeal had started right after work so they’d not had time to eat dinner.
“Was that you, dear?” Ignis asked of Prompto, picking up on the noise even over the sound of the water. “Oh my, food, we need food. Can we get food now?” he asked in a rush, turning to hold the beta even closer to him.
Prompto would normally get embarrassed about getting called out like that, but this time he nodded and proceeded to give Noct the biggest puppy eyes he could muster over Ignis’ shoulder. Gladio watched in amusement as Noct was now trying to please both their omega and beta.
“Uh, yeah for sure, let’s get out and then we can order delivery,” Noct offered, already turning off the water.
Gladio followed suit and took one last calming breath before shutting off the last spray head and trudged out of the stall. Ignis’ damp head of sandy hair was all he saw since Noct had enveloped him in a giant fluffy towel. Prompto was trying to help but couldn’t quite make headway with all of Noct’s fussing. Seeing their youngest pack member starting to frown, Gladio wasted no time in snagging another towel and wrapping Prompto up in it.
“What about Iggy?” Prompto whined, “I wanna help.”
“You’ve helped a lot already sunshine; it’s okay to relax a bit. Besides, gives me an excuse to give you some lovin,” he offered kindly. “We’ve all had a long day; it’s alright to accept some coddling.”
Prompto’s answer was a shy smile and a tiny nod, along with allowing Gladio to fully dry him off from head to toe. He’d barely finished getting every inch of freckled skin dry when the front door buzzed. Figuring it was the doctor, Gladio tried to alert everyone but Ignis had other ideas.
“Is that food?” he asked excitedly, only halfway dressed with one leg in a pair of worn but comfy gym shorts, and the other held aloft. Hurriedly finishing the task, Ignis teetered out of the room with Noct chasing behind, buck naked.
“That’s not food, is it?” Prompto asked knowingly.
Letting out a sigh, Gladio shook his head, “Most likely it’s the doctor coming to do a quick checkup.”
“I thought I heard Cor say something about that, um, should we go out there?”
“Nope,” Gladio offered curtly. “I believe Noct volunteered when he ran after Ignis.”
“Oh emm gee, he’s gonna give the doctor a surprise in his birthday suit,” Prompto snickered, which very quickly turned into full on laughter until he was bent over, wheezing for breath. Gladio could only join in, they needed a good laugh.
“We --we can’t hide in here forever,” Prompto sputtered once he could get enough air into his lungs.
“Fair point, let’s get dressed first, though.”
Prompto briefly began giggling again, most likely thinking about how Noct was dealing with the current situation. “Should I order food now? The doctor would be done by then yeah?” he confirmed.
Gladio nodded, and they went about quickly raiding their walk in closet for something cozy to wear. Taking pity on Noct, he snagged a pair of black sweatpants and a shirt before heading out of the bedroom.
Once they’d made it out to the living room, Prompto began chuckling under his breath. Ignis had his back to them, talking with the doctor, and Noct was hovering nearby, but had managed to wrap himself up in a throw blanket from the couch. He looked like an ancient solhmeinian prophet. Noting that Prompto had taken out his phone, most likely to get dinner going, Gladio debated about whether he should join the meeting with the doctor. A part of him knew Ignis might get distracted by his presence, but another part of him didn’t particularly care.
Edging toward Noct, he carefully stepped into view, and sure enough, Ignis smiled at him, and reached out. Surreptitiously handing off the bundle of clothing to his prince, Gladio easily took his place while he backed away to change quickly.
“You disappeared again, you have to stay with me all the time,” Ignis offered from his perch on the arm of the sofa. “Where’s my beta?” he added trying to look around.
“M’ordering food Iggy,” Prompto called from behind, I’ll be there in a second.”
“Don’t dawdle too long dear; the doctor will be done soon, correct?” Ignis checked, giving the man in question a very serious look.
Gladio caught their trusted family doctor attempting to stifle a laugh, “Yes, Ignis, you are right, I’m nearly done here. You seem to be alright physically, though it may take a few more hours for the effects of the sleeping drug to wear off completely.”
“Cor said I was loopy, but I still don’t believe it,” Ignis lamented. “I took a potion, shouldn’t that have helped?”
“It did, it did,” the doctor placated with a smile, “but potions work much better on flesh and bone, so I’m afraid you’ll have to get over the side effects of being drugged with time.”
Ignis sighed like a child who’d been told he couldn’t have ice cream for dinner and began pouting, “Fine, but I’m still not loopy.”
“Never said you were,” the doctor replied with a smirk.
“Is the food here yet? I’m famished,” came next in Ignis’ demands.
This time, Prompto appeared next to them and was able to answer, “Just finished ordering so it’ll be here soon, don’t worry,” he assured.
Seeing Ignis in better spirits and hearing he’d gotten a clean bill of health aside from the obvious drugging episode, Gladio began to fully relax. Knowing that Cor and the Crownsguard would be working to get answers about the motives behind the kidnapping, Gladio simply wished to forget about it all tonight and focus on making his pack happy. Thankfully, it seemed as though Ignis’ loopy state of mind had saved him from some potentially damaging memories. Even if his omega wouldn’t admit it!
Once the doctor proclaimed he’d finished, they all escorted him out, and Ignis immediately began pulling at shirt sleeves and waist bands to get his pack on the move. Despite looking entirely uncoordinated, and if one didn’t know any better, drunk, Ignis made a beeline for his nest in the library.
Surprisingly, Ignis didn’t make a detour to finish getting dressed. The man rarely went shirtless but Gladio was certainly admiring the view now. A perfectly toned, lithe back and his mate’s always impeccable posture made Ignis look divine. It may have also helped that the comfy pair of shorts he was sporting was riding very low on Ignis’ hips. Biting his tongue, Gladio didn’t care to comment on his lack of dress for fear the tantalizing show of skin would disappear.
Once they’d reached the library, Ignis began directing as well as he could, considering the circumstances. “Gladiolus, you sit in the corner so I can use you as a recliner. Noctis, you must remain close as well. I want to be able to hug you all at the same time. And – and Prompto, you must be with me too. Gladiolus, can you handle both of us sitting on you?” he asked curiously. Not waiting for an answer, he snagged Gladio’s arm and pulled rather hard. “You must go first, then we can sit on you.”
Fondly rolling his eyes, Gladio did as he was asked and made sure to get comfortable in the far corner of the nest. He knew he’d not be able to get up anytime soon. Ignis spun around quickly and almost toppled sideways, save for Prompto catching his arm.
“Oh Prompto, perfect, you’re here, you go next,” Ignis demanded, manhandling Prompto around so he could step up on the raised platform full of pillows and blankets. “You must get comfortable like Gladiolus.”
“You gotta come with me though,” Prompto encouraged, not releasing his grip on Ignis’ arm.
“Of course, dear,” Ignis swooned, following along like it’d been his plan all along. Only when he’d gracelessly thumped down on the padded floor next to Gladio did he notice someone missing. “Noctis, why are you not here next to me? I must have both my alphas with me at all times,” he insisted, reaching out and wiggling his fingers.
Noct quirked an eyebrow at Ignis and smirked, “Somehow, I knew you’d say that. I was only waiting for you to get situated.”
“I’m situ – situ – I’m where I need to be, get over here, please,” Ignis requested, leaning a little bit toward Noct to grab a fistful of his shirt sleeve so he could pull on it.
“Alright, Specs, I’m coming,” Noct chuckled, unable to keep a straight face at Ignis’ antics. “M’here, now what?”
Ignis instantly adopted a very serious expression, “We must cuddle.”
None of them had any reason to argue with Ignis’ logic, so they ended up in a heap of arms and legs, nearly crushing the life out of Gladio’s rib cage. He loved his mates and was accustomed to being used as a piece of furniture at this point. He knew he’d get a breather when dinner came.
When the food did arrive, Ignis’ face broke out in a grin, and he yanked Prompto up by his arm and dragged him into the other room. Gladio watched them go, secretly grateful it was Prompto’s turn to handle their omega.
“I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but seeing Ignis so relaxed is – it’s refreshing,” Gladio admitted.
“Yeah, same,” Noct replied, “I know the circumstances behind it are terrible, but he seems to be okay. Do you think he’ll remember acting this way tomorrow when the effects of the drugs wear off?”
“Good question and one I have no clue how to answer,” Gladio mused quietly.
“Should we get plates and stuff? Can we trust Prompto to manage Ignis and get supplies?”
“M’not moving, Iggy told me where to go and I’m not leaving,” huffed Gladio, but there was no malice to his words.
Noct smirked briefly and rearranged himself to be closer to Gladio, “I’m so happy he’s safe, I don’t know what I would have done if anything truly terrible had happened,” he sighed tiredly.
“Be glad he didn’t call you when he busted himself outta the trunk of that car. Noct, I swear I lost years off my life, he was so hell bent on seeing us and going home, I don’t think Ignis realized all that he did.”
“Prompto tried to tell me a little bit, but it sounds so unbelievable.”
“Our omega is a powerhouse,” Gladio offered reverently. “Those guys that kidnapped him picked the worst way to incapacitate him.”
“You said he used Prompto’s gun to get them to leave him alone, right?”
Gladio snorted, “If that’s what you wanna call it! He had me on speaker phone so I heard the whole exchange, and I saw the gunfire from a distance. Seriously, Noct, I felt like I was dying. And then he wasn’t answering me, and – and I,” pausing, he tried not to get overworked again.
“S’okay, he’s safe now,” Noct soothed with a comforting hand on his back.
Leaning into the touch, Gladio couldn’t help but pull Noct into a hug, “Thanks,” he mumbled into his shoulder, “I haven’t really had time to process everything yet.” Taking a steadying breath, he tried to keep his tears at bay. Squeezing Noct a little tighter earned him a barely audible purr from the other alpha. Tangled together with his head buried in the comforting juncture of Noct’s neck, he could only hear when Prompto and Ignis returned.
“We come bearing gifts!” Prompto enthused.
Peeking out, Gladio smiled, his prior woes all but forgotten. Ignis was carrying two takeout bags and a large tray with plates and bottles of water in his hands, and Prompto had both arms around Ignis’ waist, keeping him steady. The duo looked ridiculous walking in step together, but it worked, food was delivered, and Ignis was safe.
They’d managed to finally meet all of Ignis’ many demands. Being together as a pack, going home, and eating. Heaving a great sigh, Gladio took in the scene before him when they’d finished literally devouring all of the food. Noct was flat on his back, licking his lips and smiling. Prompto was nestled against Ignis’ side, softly purring. And Ignis, well, his omega was currently eyeing him like a piece of garula steak, and Gladio wasn’t sure what he was in for next.
“Can we --” Ignis began nonchalantly, “sit with you?”
“Of course you can,” he responded, “but careful for my stomach,” Gladio warned with both hands held out. He didn’t think he could handle getting the stuffing knocked outta him if Ignis decided to pounce. They had all just inhaled dinner like a bunch of starving men; he needed time to digest things.
“I’ll be careful,” he promised, scooting closer and pulling Prompto along for the ride. “Darling, we get to take a nap on Gladio.”
“Niiiiice,” Prompto crooned, “I’m so sleepy after all that food.”
Rearranging pillows and blankets didn’t take long and Gladio soon had Ignis and Prompto plastered up against his right side, their heads resting on his chest. The two of them managed this silly move by spooning each other. Ignis had quickly decided the beta was to be the little spoon, and Gladio’s arm draped over Ignis’ shoulder and back completed the formation.
Though it seemed Ignis had one last thing to do before he fully relaxed, “Noctis, can you hear me? Dearest, we’ve left you space on Gladio’s other side, you must come here.”
Peeking over, Gladio smiled as he watched Noct dearest groan in response, and somehow manage to roll over until he neatly fitted into the space Ignis had mentioned.
Letting out a long but calming sigh, Gladio closed his eyes and thanked the astrals once more, Ignis was safe, they all were. Drifting off, he began to feel a small vibration emanate from where his hand was resting on Ignis’ upper back. Then, the most pleasant sound filled the air. Ignis was purring loudly.
A smile pulled at his lips, nothing made him happier. Ignis would only do that if he felt truly safe. “Good night, love you all,” he mumbled sleepily, content to let go and rest.
--
Startling awake, Noct was confused for a second when he didn’t see the familiar sights of their bedroom. However, it didn’t take long to figure out where he was and what had woken him, Prompto was frozen in place and staring at him wide eyed. Judging by his position he’d been trying to wiggle his way out of Ignis’ grasp without jostling him, but his movement had made Noct wake up instead.
“Morning,” he whispered, slightly surprised at his alertness considering how early it was. Maybe he was still feeling the effects of yesterday’s torturous adventure. “You okay?”
Prompto nodded and gave him a soft smile, “I’m just trying to squeeze back in,” he offered.
Noct furrowed his brow, “Back in? Aren’t you trying to leave?”
“Nah, dude, this is pure heaven over here,” he replied quietly, “I only needed to use the restroom real quick, sorry I woke you up.”
Realization dawning, Noct could now see that Prompto was in fact attempting to crawl back under errant arms and legs to go back to sleep. Silently laughing at the sight, he reached out and tussled Prompto’s blond locks. “You can cuddle with me too,” he tried, wondering what answer he’d get.
Prompto rolled his eyes, “I know that, but like this – this is really good too, you need to come back over here, like properly this time.”
“I was cuddling with you all last night, what are you going on about?”
“You were only sleeping on Gladdy, which is awesome, don’t get me wrong,” Prompto rambled, “but you need to get over here and squeeze in behind Iggy, and then everything will be right in the eos.”
Acquiescing, Noct forced his limbs to get moving, and he very carefully picked his way around to the back of the nest. Gladio was sprawled out like a behemoth; Ignis was still partially glued to his side and sleeping soundly. Slinking down, he gently shoved Gladio’s arm around until it would make the perfect pillow and pressed himself against Ignis’ back. Letting out a soft sigh, Noct felt very content. Prompto wasn’t kidding this was heaven.
“Can you fit?” he asked of Prompto, eyeing the remaining space between Ignis and Gladio.
“Just watch me,” he teased, maneuvering his limbs here and there until he was using Gladio’s lower abdomen as a pillow and had pushed back into Ignis, causing him to make the tiniest of sounds.
Satisfied with this new arrangement, Noct put his arm around Ignis’ waist and relished in the other’s body heat. When they cuddled together like this, blankets weren’t usually a necessary item. Several minutes passed in blissful ease until he heard Prompto shift.
“Noct,” he hissed, “he’s doing it, listen!”
Wondering what he meant, Noct thought he heard a quiet rumbling. Straining to hear better, he realized what Prompto was talking about. Gladio, Mr. I never purr, was purring! “Is it because we’re all lying on him?” he whispered back.
“I dunno, but like we were all doing that last night and he didn’t purr, only Ignis was.”
“Where’s your phone?!” Noct whisper shouted, “We need to document this.”
After several minutes of looking for a phone, finding one, and trying to reach it without waking up Ignis and Gladio, they’d succeeded in snagging a device for filming purposes.
Prompto captured the epic moment on film and shot Noct a big grin, “Now he won’t be able to say we were fibbing when we tell him about this later.”
Noct went to add more but went wide-eyed when he noticed Ignis had begun purring again, “Dude, keep filming, Iggy’s doing it too!”
Shockingly, with all their talking and moving about, neither Gladio nor Ignis stirred; they simply kept on purring. The two of them together sounded amazing, and Noct could feel himself getting drowsy, his eyes slipping closed of their own accord. “I can’t hold out,” he muttered, “I’m going back to bed. It’s like I’m battling a sleepy superpower with the two of them combined.”
Prompto may have grunted in response, but Noct wasn’t sure. Waiting a few seconds, he tried again, “Prom? Hey buddy? Babe?” Prying his eyes open to look over Ignis’ frame, he noted Prompto was passed out, his phone forgotten on his stomach. At least they’d have something fun to talk about when they got up for real later. Not bothering to fight his tiredness, Noct quickly fell back to sleep.
--
Staring dumbly at Prompto’s phone, Ignis couldn’t believe what he was seeing, “Why did you all let me go to bed shirtless?”
“That’s all you got out of that clip?!” Noct sputtered, “Gladio is purring, and we finally got evidence of it.”
“Yes, dear, I realize that, but I have heard it before, you know,” he added easily, still looking at the phone with a pout. “Did I not want a shirt? I’m afraid I only remember bits and pieces from yesterday’s ordeal.” When no response was forthcoming, Ignis looked up and found the two youngest members of his pack mildly scowling at him. “Oh, come now, don’t look so put out, I’m only inquiring about my choice of sleepwear simply because I don’t recall clearly.” He’d since changed and felt a little more himself. Waking up in a comforting cuddle pile had been wondrous, but they couldn’t have stayed in his nest all day, nothing would have been accomplished of any merit. Currently, they were all lounging in the living room, minus Gladio, who was puttering around the kitchen.
“How much do you remember about the other bit, the – the um scary bit?” Noct asked seriously, his head draped across the arm of their giant sofa, looking nothing like the monarch he actually was.
“Oh that, well, I – there was the ambush at the store, and then it gets very fuzzy from there,” Ignis admitted, trying in vain to remember more details but coming up short.
“I saw a lot of the aftermath,” Gladio chimed in from the kitchen, where he was cleaning up the dishes from last night’s dinner. “Iggy got 'em all good, gave me a heart attack in the process, but he held his own.”
“We were all so worried,” Prompto added, “Noct was the one who spotted the getaway car in the surveillance footage.”
“And Prompto helped me not lose my cool so I could actually review the clips,” admitted Noct with a shy smile.
“I’m grateful you all were able to rescue me.”
“Wasn’t much of a rescue, babe,” Gladio yelled over the sound of running water, “You sorta did all the hard work.”
Suddenly remembering a small detail, Ignis spoke up again, “Was I handcuffed?”
“Yep, but it didn’t stop you from using the really scary arsenal from the armiger. Those idiots picked on the wrong omega,” Gladio proclaimed, finally coming around to join them.
Nothing else was coming to mind, and Ignis decided it was best to let it go for now. Maybe not remembering was a good thing, it sounded like it had been a harrowing event. Though one thing did keep flittering through his head, something no one was really telling him the truth about. “I must ask,” pausing, Ignis waited, getting the dramatic effect he wanted, before continuing, “Was I really loopy?!”