#will i get this fic finished in time as a bday treat for myself? HOPEFULLY

[ivorydice]

Many Sentences Sunday

Can’t name it Six Sentence Sunday because this is more than six sentences lmao, but I wanted to share this snippet of an angsty scene from the "Noct and Gladio get booted down a mine shaft fic" because I loooove. Guilt ridden Noct is too good. Also I’m on the second draft of this fic so hopefully it won’t be much longer until completion, even though this is when the big edits happen lol let's gooooooo ✌️

Noct tries to breathe through the flashes. He stays under the spray of the shower a little longer, letting the hot water pour over him, and he brushes his hands over his face as he wills the images to go away. He keeps his eyes closed and inhales, one, two, three, four. Exhales, one, two, three, four. He can hear voices in the other room. Their words are indecipherable through the closed door and the sound of the shower, but he would recognise the tones anywhere. Prompto yelling something and Gladio roaring with laughter in response. It should be comforting, it should be grounding, but it doesn’t get rid of the mess in his head. He thinks about Gladio coming out of the bathroom earlier, pulling a vest on a little carefully, awkwardly, the skin under his collarbone still bruised and the gash still neatly stitched up. He sees the blood on his hands again. Noct presses his fingers to his eyes and breathes. They’ve been here before, he thinks. A few years ago. A drunk and a knife back then too, both of them coming for Noct. And Gladio had jumped in between them, always appearing out of nowhere, always moving lightning fast, always there to pull Noct out of the fire. He’d nearly lost an eye back then. He had a new scar to mark the occasion. He nearly lost his life this time. He'll have a new scar to mark this occasion, too. He wonders if Gladio feels proud of this scar. If he likes walking away with souvenirs telling him he’s done a job well done. Mission successful, Prince Noctis remains unharmed, therefore everything is right with the world. He wonders if Gladio feels happy about that, if he thinks it’s normal or right or fair. All Noct feels is guilt.