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The clock on the wall of Ignis's office ticks steadily into the silence. After a beat Gladio lets out an audible breath and shifts in his seat, the leather creaking noisily.
“Well I guess I should get going. You sure you want to do it?”
Behind his desk, Ignis nods, lips pursed tightly. No point issuing untruths about how he’s ready or even looking forward to it because Gladio is like the other half of his soul with a direct line to his feelings. He realises Gladio is now on his feet and is making the short journey around the desk. A hand lands on his arm and squeezes gently.
“We can do it another time if you’re not ready.”
“No.” Ignis shakes his head, more forcefully this time. “There’s no reason to delay any longer apart from my own cowardice.”
Gladio leans in and presses a kiss to his temple. “You’re not a coward, Iggy. No one could ever accuse you of that.”
Ignis smiles thinly. “Perhaps. But I do need to prove it to myself.”
“Okay,” Gladio says, his own smile evident in his voice. “I guess I’ll see you at home then.”
“You will.”
Another kiss. Gladio’s reluctance to leave is sweet, but obviously he realises he's in danger of derailing any potential progress if he stays any longer. The footsteps move around the other side of the desk and Ignis grimaces at the sound of Gladio's knees popping as he drops to his haunches to address the other occupant of the room, lying patiently in her bed.
“You take good care of him, you hear?”
Fur is ruffled. Like with everything that has come into his life after he lost his sight, Ignis only has an imagined version of Ebony in his head, which has grown and changed as she has done the same. From the tiny squiggling puppy Gladio placed into his arms, she is now a tall, sleek adolescent who has completed her training, passing with flying colours to his and Gladio's great relief.
Much of the latter part of her training was for Ignis as much as it was for her. For months they’ve worked together, learning to understand each other so that they function as a single unit. It’s been a hard process; at times he questioned the wisdom of adding something else that required his focus because his government role took up enough of his time and attention. But Gladio had been steadfast—this is for you, Iggy. You deserve to reclaim your independence. Insomnia can wait.
So now they’re here. Ebony is a part of their home and Ignis has grown in confidence as they forge and refine their partnership. She’s become a familiar sight now around the citadel, either curled up in her bed beside his desk as he works or leading him through the corridors in her harness. Part of her training has been about familiarising her with the routes that he regularly walks, both within the palace and outside. They’ve done the journey between the citadel and their apartment many times, always ensuring they take exactly the same route so that she knows it as well as he does. But the day they finally complete it without any other human assistance is upon them. Hence the nerves.
“D'you want me to get her in her harness?” Gladio asks, drawing Ignis from his thoughts as he stands back up.
“No, it's alright. I’m going to finish up this report first so I’ll be a short while yet.”
“Mmm. Don’t be too long, I’m making dinner, remember?” Boots cross the floor and stop beside the door. There’s a pause and then Gladio says, “Text me when you’re setting off, okay?”
In his mind he sees Gladio's face, handsome features reflecting both pride and a touch of inevitable worry.
“I will,” he promises. “I love you.”
“Love you too.”
The door closes softly and the sound of the ticking clock fills the space once more until Ebony shifts on her bed and reminds him that he’s not alone. How easy it would have been to tell Gladio to stay. But no. He’s faced enough challenges in his life to know there comes a point where it’s do or die. If he delays now he could lose his nerve completely. He didn’t back down after Altissia, so he’s certainly not about to do it now.
With a deep, centring breath he puts his hands back to his keyboard ready to finish that report.
OoOoO
An hour later his word processing software reads back what he’s written. Satisfied the report is complete, he emails it over to the trade department and leans back in his chair. Like flicking through a Rolodex, his mind checks off everything he wanted to get done and is forced to conclude that there’s nothing else he needs to deal with today. That said, Prompto is due to come and stay for a few days next week so maybe he should work out a list of groceries they’ll need with an extra mouth to feed. Before he can start however, his phone buzzes then intones ‘text from Gladio'. His fingers slide across the screen and the message automatically starts to play.
Hope you’re almost done. Dinner's about to go in the oven and wine's in the fridge waiting for you.
Ignis smiles to himself, hearing it for what it really is: stop procrastinating, you can do it. He sends a quick reply that says he’s setting off now.
“Come on, girl,” he says, turning his head to where soft snoring has ceased at the sound of his voice. “Time for home.”
He shuts down his computer and finds the harness and leash on his desk where Gladio placed them earlier. Seeing them, Ebony comes to stand beside him and he fusses her for a moment before slipping them over her head and fastening them in position. The task allows him to ignore the sudden flutter in his stomach. With that done, he reaches for his coat and pulls it on, ensuring that his phone, wallet and small bag of dog treats are safely in his inside pocket. His briefcase can stay here for tonight. Preparations complete, he reaches down for the leash and the harness's handle. He swallows and moistens his dry lips.
“Shall we go then?”
Negotiating the citadel isn’t a problem. There aren’t a lot of people around, especially at this time of day and Ebony is used to these halls. She pads along confidently, her claws clicking on the marble as Ignis concentrates on making the turns to take them to the west exit. There are always two guards posted sentry and he hears the shuffle of their boots followed by the expected creak as they open the doors and hold them as he and Ebony pass through.
“Good evening, Sir.”
“Good evening.”
He visualises the view in front of him standing atop the palace steps. Since bringing back the dawn, there are significant differences from how he remembers it. Gladio has talked him through the changes, and he’s tried to incorporate them with his mental map as best he can. The breeze ruffles his hair. The weather has been pleasantly clement recently; ideal for increasing the amount of walking he does and getting to grips with his new-found but hard-won independence.
“Forward,” he says and almost immediately Ebony starts to move. They walk down the steps, taking the path through the gardens toward the outer walls. Before everything, when Insomnia was the home of their youth he loved coming here. Whether it was with Gladio walking hand in hand through the ornamental walkways or with Noct just sitting and chatting and taking a minute out of their day, the memories return as he’s hit by the scent of flowers from the newly replanted beds. Laughter floats from somewhere to his left and it’s easy to imagine that old life now. He smiles to himself and walks on.
That easy feeling fades once he’s beyond the palace perimeter, when thrust into the bustle of the city his senses are instantly filled. He ducks his head and focuses on breathing steadily. He can do this. They can do this. In his pocket he fingers the treats for a moment before he takes one out and offers it to his companion.
“Good girl.” She takes it with alacrity and he smiles at the sensation of her long tail wagging against his leg. “Let's be going, shall we?”
First things first. Just a few steps forward and they’ll join the flow of human traffic all going about their business in the early evening twilight. Although busy, this first part is relatively straightforward. The roads are straight and the pedestrian crossings well marked. Ebony's job is simply to guide him around the many human obstacles littering their path. And he trusts her to do it, but this is truly the ultimate test for them both without another human to act as her backup.
“Forward.”
They set off at a steady pace. Her presence is comforting beside him as he walks forward in unrelentingly solid blackness. While Noct was in the crystal his magic provided something Ignis came to view as an alternative form of sight. With Noct gone there is nothing besides the infinitesimal shift in the absoluteness of that black when the sun is at its brightest. He knows from speaking to other blind people that they often have some residual vision to aid them, be it vague shapes or shadows that help them sense movement and it’s impossible not to envy that. But then again, no one else he's met lost their sight as a result of a blood pact with the kings of Lucis.
Mentally he counts the paces—their first crossing should be coming up and it’s heartening to know he hasn’t lost his touch when Ebony suddenly stops and sits down—her way of communicating that they've reached a road. This one is easy; it’s a signal controlled crossing and the tactile pavement tells him he’s in the right place. With his free hand he finds the button and presses it. He visualises the red and green cactuars on the crossing, knowing the latter is showing when a steady beeping starts. Issuing the 'forward straight' command sees them walking again and he experiences a rush of pride and accomplishment that it’s going so well.
The street they’ve crossed to is busier. Ebony's pace slows a little as she negotiates their path through. Her presence is evidently more visible than his cane because people move for them, which makes life somewhat easier. However there are other challenges that weren’t present on their previous attempts at this journey. The warm weather, for instance, means some of the shops and restaurants have their doors held open, which makes it harder to discern whether the voices he can hear are outside—and potentially in their way—or inside. It’s taken time and work for him to allow Ebony to take the lead and trust that she’s making good choices for both of them, but it appears their efforts are finally paying off. He knows that every time their angle changes slightly it’s because she’s seen something and has adjusted their course accordingly.
“Good girl,” he murmurs to her, remembering the instruction that he should keep communicating with her, even when he doesn’t have any specific directions for her.
The neon buzz of a bar sign tells him they’re exactly where he expected them to be by now. There’s another crossing coming up; this one doesn’t have controls so he’s reliant firstly on drivers obeying the rules of the road and stopping when they see him waiting and secondly Ebony judging that they’ve done so and it’s now safe to cross. Expertly she guides him to the appropriate place and stops so he knows to do the same. He listens and hears the sound of cars coming to a stop, the number of differing engine noises telling him that the roads are still busy.
“Forward, straight.”
The harness tugs as she steps forward, telling him he made the right call in his assessment that all the cars have stopped. It’s impossible not to smile and part of him wishes Gladio were here just so he could see how well they’re both doing.
Almost as soon as he’s given the 'left' command, Ebony turns; evidently she knows exactly where they’re going. There’s a takeaway on this corner that smells strongly of spiced meat and it amuses him to think that they’re both using the same olfactory landmarks to navigate the city.
From here they’re only a five minute walk away from home. Ignis imagines Gladio waiting anxiously, maybe watching out of their window for signs of their approach, whilst simultaneously trying to keep an eye on their dinner so it doesn’t burn. Gladio, who was instrumental in finding Ebony and encouraging him to consider it as a solution, is his rock. Whenever doubts have crept in, Gladio’s been there, ready to head off a negative spiral and part of him wants this to work for Gladio's benefit almost as much as his own.
The sounds of the city start to change as they move into the more residential area where he and Gladio have their home. Gone is the piped music of shops and restaurants, replaced by the sounds of televisions and laughter floating from open windows. Somewhere nearby a baby is crying. It’s a nice neighbourhood and they’d instantly felt at home here when they'd returned to Insomnia following Ardyn's defeat. Fortunately the damage to this part of the city had been mainly cosmetic and it had been ready for people to reoccupy in a fairly short amount of time. There had been suggestions that he and Gladio should live at the citadel, or at least take one of the more upscale residences nearby, but they’d helped with the cleanup efforts here and realised quickly that they wanted to stay.
Spurred on by the thought of being so close to home—and Gladio—they maintain their steady pace. They’ve just got one more street to cross and it’s another crossing without controls. He allows Ebony to guide him to the appropriate place, where she diligently sits down.
“Good girl.”
After praising her, he turns his attention to listening for traffic so he can make the decision about when to cross. It’s trickier than last time; somehow it’s harder to tune out the other noises around him and his jaw clenches as he decides, then quickly changes his mind several times, his anxiety rising with every passing second, much to his chagrin. Doesn’t help that he can hear other people around him crossing confidently, the gift of sight allowing them to dart to the other side, safe in the knowledge they can judge when to do so.
Eventually, he makes a call and gives the 'forward, straight' command but Ebony doesn’t move. His first thought is that she hasn’t heard him even though he knows that's ridiculous. What she’s in fact doing is part of her training—intelligent disobedience, the instructor called it. Basically she’s overriding his command because she can see something he can’t. Feeling something growing that could quickly turn to panic if he lets it, he bows his head and takes a breath. After a moment, he becomes aware of the click of heels that stop somewhere close by on his left. There's a flicker of embarrassment at what he knows he has to do but he tamps it out immediately, telling himself to stop being so stubborn.
“Excuse me?”
There's a slight pause, then: “Oh, uh, yes?” The voice is female, not a child but still youngish sounding.
“I wonder if you’d be so kind as to help me?”
Her heels click again and her voice, when she speaks, is louder now. “Sure, what do you need me to do?”
“Help me cross?” he explains, “Ebony here won’t move forward so I assume there’s something troubling her.”
“Oh,” the woman says, then—“Ah yeah. There's a car on the other side of the road with a guy in it. He's parked but the engine's still running and it's slightly over the markings of the crossing. What a dickhead,” she adds, sounding annoyed.
Ignis smiles to himself. “Quite.”
“So technically it's safe to cross, but you’ve obviously got a real smart girl here for spotting that.”
“She is. I'll ask her to follow you if you don’t mind?”
“Not at all.”
“Ebony,” he says, getting the dog's attention before he reaches out to gesture towards his human companion. “Follow.”
And instantly she responds, following the clicking heels until they reach the safety of the other side. Once they’re across, the woman bangs on the window of the offending car and berates the thoughtless driver. The guy mumbles an apology and drives away.
“All sorted,” she says pleasantly, like that previous interaction never happened. “You need anything else?”
He’s about to say no, when something occurs to him. “You see the red brick building a little further up the street? Second floor, first window in. Can you see anyone looking out?”
The clicking heels move away slightly and then come back. “Yeah. Big handsome guy?”
Ignis chuckles. “That’s him. My husband.”
The woman makes an appreciative sound. “Gorgeous dog, gorgeous man. You’re a lucky guy, that’s for sure.”
“I am, aren’t I? Thank you again for the assistance.”
“You’re welcome.”
He’s still smiling as he listens to her head off down the street. In his pocket he locates another treat which Ebony takes from him gently.
“Good girl,” he murmurs to her. “Let’s go home, shall we?”
OoOoO
“The wanderers have returned,” Gladio says warmly as Ignis lets himself and Ebony into their apartment a few minutes later. The smells coming from the kitchen are divine and instantly Ignis realises he’s really hungry. “D'you want me to take her?”
“Please.”
He relinquishes the leash and harness, smiling at the sound of Gladio fussing over Ebony, and shrugs out of his coat. Once Ebony has gone to sniff out her own dinner, Gladio takes both of Ignis's hands and draws him towards the kitchen.
“Come on. Have a seat, dinner's almost ready.”
“It smells wonderful.”
Gladio deposits him on a stool at the kitchen island and immediately presses a glass of chilled wine into his hand before returning to the meal he’s tending. Over the bubbling pans Ignis can hear Ebony happily chomping on the food Gladio has put out for her, her tail slapping rhythmically against the counter. The sound of stirring stops and then Gladio makes an appreciative noise at whatever it is he’s just sampled. Content just to sit and listen, Ignis takes a sip of the wine.
“You’re smiling,” Gladio observes. It’s clear from his voice that he is too.
“Mmm. Someone just told me I have a gorgeous dog and a gorgeous husband and you know I’m rather inclined to agree.”
Gladio chuckles. “Oh yeah? Who was that?”
“A very kind lady who helped me across the road.”
“You asked for help?” Gladio says, the surprise in his voice clear.
Ignis nods. “It actually wasn’t as difficult as I thought. I know not everyone will be as receptive as she was, but it was good to have such a positive experience on my first outing.”
Gladio breathes in deeply; it's an obvious relief for him too that it’s gone so well. Boots come around the island and then Gladio's right there, leaning in for a kiss.
“I’m so proud of you, Iggy.”
Ignis kisses him back. “Don’t forget Ebony.”
There's the patter of paws on the tiled floor, presumably as Ebony comes to investigate why her name has been mentioned. Ignis smooths a hand across her head, grateful for her presence and what she’s brought into his life.
“No chance of that.” Gladio's hand joins his scratching Ebony around her ears. “You make an awesome team.”
“As do we,” Ignis replies, stealing another kiss before Gladio can return to dinner duties. “My gorgeous husband.”
Gladio laughs as the timer sounds and he returns to the stove and starts to turn off the heat. “I dunno, I could have grown a massive, hideous lump at the end of my nose or somethin' and not told you about it.”
“I’ve got hands, Gladio,” Ignis says dryly, one eyebrow arched.
“Mmm, very skilled ones if I remember rightly.”
“Such flattery,” Ignis teases, taking up his wine glass once again as Gladio starts to serve dinner. “Tell me more.”
“Uh uh. First I want to hear about your walk, okay? In detail. Then we'll talk about your hands.” Gladio sets down a plate and grazes his lips against the skin of Ignis's neck, which earns him a soft gasp. “Then maybe later you can give me a demo?”
Ignis reaches for his fork. Despite intimating there are other things they could be doing, Gladio really does want to know about his first solo walk. Still, it’s impossible to resist the opportunity for a pun.
“Well… I suppose you always did enjoy being ‘hands on’.”
Gladio laughs, a deep, hearty chuckle that is as welcome as his kisses. Off to Ignis's right, Ebony lets out a contented snore from her bed in the corner of the kitchen. She has several of them dotted around the apartment, but he specifically wanted one in here so she could be with him while he cooked or while he and Gladio ate together. The thought of his little family makes him smile all over again because it’s definitely true; he's a very lucky guy indeed.
End